


Here Be Monsters

by allonsy_gabriel



Series: Here Be Monsters [1]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Boats and Ships, Fever, Fluff, Henry Laurens' A+ Parenting, Hurricane Alexander, M/M, Minor Character Death, Minor Violence, Misunderstandings, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Period-Typical Homophobia, Period-Typical Sexism, Poor Aaron Burr, Potions, Running Away, The plague, This is confusing, this is gay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-10
Updated: 2017-12-01
Packaged: 2018-12-13 18:22:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 30,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11765700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allonsy_gabriel/pseuds/allonsy_gabriel
Summary: Alexander huffed. "The war was so long ago, Gil! Surely humans can't be that bad!"Aka, the crazy love child of about 2600 different tropes





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> "Oh Gabe, don't you already have two series you're working on?" Yes. "Shouldn't you be focussed on those?" Probably. "So aren't you working on those?" Nope!
> 
> Instead, I'm working on the bastard child of every idea that's popped into my head in the last three months.
> 
> Ring, as always, saved my incompetent ass. Thanks, nerd.
> 
> Enjoy!

“Your Excellency, please--”

“No, Alexander! I've told you a thousand times,  _ no one leaves the island _ ,” King George Washington said, his grip on the arms of his throne tightening, flames licking around his shoulders.

“But sir!” Alexander argued, “We cannot just stand by as the people suffer!”

“Going on a wild, dangerous goose chase isn't going to help anyone, son,” the King said.

Alexander clenched his fists. “Your Highness,” he said gently, “If you could please reconsider--”

Washington seemed to soften for a moment before he shook his head and glared at the man in front of him. “Don’t try those tricks of yours on me, Hamilton. You may not leave this island, and that is  _ final _ .”

“Sir, please.”

“That is an order from your  _ king _ , Alexander.”

Alexander spun on his heels, the feathers on his arms elongating until as he flew from the castle hall.

○○○

“I can't believe this!” Alexander shouted as he sat on his bed.

“Alexander, mon ami, you know why George will not allow you to leave Tératos,” Lafayette said as he pulled his hair back with a ribbon.

Alexander huffed, the feathers in his hair and along his arms ruffling. “The war was so long ago, Gil. Surely things have changed since then! Surely humans can't be  _ that _ bad!” he argued before wrinkling his nose, “And don't call the King ‘George’. It's odd.”

“He is my father in all but blood, I will call him George if I want to,” Lafayette countered, “And you know as well as I do, humans don't change.”

“Are you two honestly arguing about that? Again?” Hercules asked as he entered the room. He had a bandana tied around his head to his mane from his eyes, and he was carrying a tray loaded down with teapots and bottles of gin.

Lafayette was up in a second, taking the platter from his partner and placing it on the table, his webbed fingers dancing as he poured he and his companions each a drink. “Alexander asked George about leaving the island again,” he said, handing Hercules his cup.

“Do you know how unusual it is for you to call our king by his first name?” Hercules asked, taking a drink.

“Oui, and I do not care. What I  _ do  _ care about is notre cher petit oiseau chanteur and his insistence to leave our home!” Lafayette replied.

Hercules sighed, his tail swishing in annoyance. “Alexander, how many times are you going to get turned down before you understand that that's never going to happen. He's not going to let you leave,” he said.

“Not even if Tératos could be in danger?” Alexander argued, “We all know what's happening around here isn't normal. The disease, the earthquakes, it's not some natural thing.”

“Why do you even want to leave so badly? You've got a good life here,” Hercules pointed out.

Alexander ran a hand through his hair, patting down the mixture of frizzy hair and ruffled feathers. “I need to know what's out there.”

“Mon ami, you  _ know _ what is out there. We all do. Humans are not kind to monsters, petit oiseau,” Lafayette said, taking a sip of his tea.

“How do you know? No one's left the island in 850 years! Besides, even if I  _ did  _ have to fight a human, I wouldn't mind. They deserve it,” Alexander grumbled, picking under his talons.

“How Jeffersonian of you, Alexander,” Hercules replied, crossing his arms over his chest.

Alexander narrowed his eyes. “Don't compare me to that elitist prick,” he said.

“Then stop sounding like him. This is your home, Alexander. Couldn't this be enough?” Hercules asked, sitting down next to his friend.

“You've got to admit, something unusual is going on,” Alexander stated.

“George will take care of it, Alexander. Avoir foi,” Lafayette reminded him.

Alexander sighed. “Are you two on patrol tomorrow?” he asked.

“Oui. The  _ Adrienne _ pulls out of the harbour at seven,” Lafayette replied, and Hercules groaned.

“That is too early to be on a bloody boat,” he said.

“You did not have to agree to be my first mate, mon chaton,” Lafayette quipped back, sitting himself down on his lover's lap.

“Don't call me that.”

“Oh, but Hercules--”

“No,” Hercules interrupted, “No. I'm not a kitten, Gilbert.”

Lafayette smirked. “Non, you are my big, strong lion,” he teased, kissing Hercules’ nose.

“Please go be affectionate somewhere else,” Alexander interrupted, “It's sickening.”

“You're just jealous,” Lafayette said.

“Of you two? Never. Now shoo. I need to work,” Alexander said, pushing the two out the door.

“See you tomorrow, Alexander!” Hercules shouted as the couple walked down the street. Alexander rolled his eyes and made himself another tea and gin mix before sitting down at his desk, parchment and quills strewed all about.

Alexander was a novelist and a cartographer. He was the King’s official story teller--a title he didn't know existed but was proud of anyway--and his senior map maker and was always elbows deep in ink and paper.

He sat hunched over his desk for hours, quill scratching on parchment as he added new details to his latest map.

It was for Lafayette, for his ship. Alexander had drawn Tératos and the shallows around it, and then had marked the fastest ways to get around the island, both by sea and by foot.

It was supposed to be a birthday gift, but it had been nowhere near done when Lafayette’s birthday rolled around.

When Alexander finally went to bed, it was closer to dawn than to dusk, and any sleep he got would be short and unsatisfying.

He was used to it.

He was up at 6:30, when the sunlight just barely starting to seep through the window.

Alexander swore under his breath as he hauled himself out of bed, quickly tugging on his stockings and breeches and a tunic. He tied up his vest, stuffed his feet in some shoes, and shoved a hat on his head before racing out the door.

He hoped Hercules and Lafayette kept tea aboard the ship.

“Well, look who it is,” Hercules said as Alexander doubled over, panting from his mad dash to the docks.

“Quiet, you,” Alexander gasped, smoothing his hair and feathers. Hercules rolled his eyes.

“Gil is in his cabin, I believe he's making tea,” he said.

“Is it salt water tea?” Alexander asked.

“Knowing Lafayette? Probably.”

Alexander wrinkled his nose is disdain. “Is there any tea on board that he  _ hasn't  _ ruined?”

“Why? Did you not have time to make some at home?” Hercules asked.

“I woke up later than expected,” Alexander admitted.

Hercules groaned. “You stayed up all night again, didn't you?”

“Possibly.”

“Zeus’ beard, Alexander!  _ I  _ am semi-nocturnal.  _ You _ are not,” Hercules said, exasperation clear on his face.

“But I had so much to do!”

“You're going to work yourself to death!”

Alexander huffed. “Let it go, okay?” he asked, his eyes seeming to grow brighter as he spoke. Hercules’ jaw clicked shut, seemingly of its own accord.

“Fine,” he relented. “C’mon, I think Gil has a map he needs you to look over.”

○○○

The  _ Adrienne  _ pulled back into the harbor just as the sun began to slip below the mountains. Alexander had looked over Lafayette’s map and then taken the position he always took when he was aboard the ship--perched on the bow with a quill in hand as he quickly sketched his surrounding.

It had been an uneventful day--no waves, no trouble, no pirates or mischief.

“Is Hercules Mulligan aboard?” a voice called as they sailed into the harbor.

“Aaron Burr, sir!” Alexander called down to the man on the dock.

“Hamilton. Is your friend Mulligan aboard?” Burr asked.

“Of course,” Alexander replied.

“Fetch him, would you? I've been sent by his mother--there's been an emergency,” Aaron Burr explained.

If Burr said it was an emergency, it was.

“Hercules!” Alexander yelled into Lafayette’s cabin, “Hercules, Burr says there's been an emergency, you have to go!”

“What?” Hercules growled, stalking out of the cabin.

“I don't know! Burr just said something about being sent your mother,” Alexander explained.

Hercules looked panicked for a moment before running down to the docks.

“What has happened?” Lafayette asked, sticking his head out of the cabin.

“No idea, but Burr said it was an emergency,” Alexander explained, and Lafayette’s look of panic was almost as intense of Hercules’.

“I have to go,” he said, “The crew knows what they're doing, probably. Make sure they do not destroy my ship, oui?”

And then he was gone, chasing after Burr and Hercules, leaving Alexander alone on the deck of the boat.

○○○

Alexander waited a few hours before making the trip up the mountain to Hercules’ den. He found Lafayette standing outside, the Nereid's scales glittering in the torchlight.

“What's going on?” Alexander asked, placing a hand on Lafayette’s shoulder.

“It is Elizabeth. She’s caught it,” Lafayette explained. He didn't have to say what ‘it’ was. Everyone knew of the disease that had swept Tératos, that had already killed dozens. The bloody handkerchiefs, the swollen sores that covered the body, the fevers and vomiting.

“No,” Alexander muttered, “No! I saw her two days ago in town! She was healthy!”

“Not anymore, mon ami. They've got her quarantined, and they say… they say she will not make it through the night.”

Alexander felt like he'd been punched in the gut.

He'd grown up with the Mulligans. They'd been the ones who raised him, the ones to take in the young, orphaned siren after the war. Alexander had been there after Elizabeth was born, had held her while Sarah slept. They were as close to family as Alexander had ever had.

“This can't be happening,” he whispered. “Why is this happening?”

“No one knows, mon oiseau chanteur,” Lafayette said, scratching at his scales. “No one knows.”

○○○

A few hours later, Elizabeth Mulligan was pronounced dead. Alexander watched as his closest friends cried over the body of the little girl who was as close to a sister as Alexander had ever had.

Hercules left the den hours later, his face red and puffy from crying, his mane matted, and his tail dragging in the dirt.

“We're fixing this,” he said, his voice so low Alexander could barely hear him.

“What do you mean?”

“We're going to figure out what the hell is going on, and we're going to stop it,” Hercules snarled.

Alexander blinked. “Right now?” he asked.

“Why wait?” Hercules replied.

“Be-because! You can't just  _ leave _ ! Not now!” Alexander protested.

Hercules turned and glared at him, and Alexander swallowed the lump of fear in his throat. “I thought this is what you wanted,” Hercules said.

“Yes, but not right this second! We-we have to  _ plan _ , to gather supplies… we have to go to the funeral,” Alexander pointed out.

Hercules was having none of it.

“What about Gil? You planning on stealing his boat and leaving him?” Alexander snapped, “Neither of us can sail, Hercules. We need him.”

“He won't come.”

“I wonder why,” Alexander said, running after his friend. “Hercules,  _ stop _ !” he shouted, putting as much power in those words as he could.

Hercules stopped dead in his tracks. “Let me go, Alexander,” he said, but he sounded less angry. “Let me go. I have to go.”

“I know, Hercules. I know. We will. Just calm down, be patient, alright?” Alexander said softly, placing a hand on Hercules’ shoulder and staring into his eyes. “Calm down,” he whispered, his eyes practically glowing.

Hercules deflated, all the tension in his body dissipating.

“Good, good. Deep breaths, my friend,” Alexander said. He then noticed Lafayette exit the den, looking around frantically.

“Lafayette!” Alexander called, waving his arms, “Over here!”

“Oh, thank goodness! I thought… I don't know what I thought, but I'm glad he is with you, Alexander,” Lafayette said.

“He wanted to steal the  _ Adrienne _ and leave the island,” Alexander said bluntly. 

Lafayette, to his credit, didn't seem surprised. He simply sighed.

“I got him to stop and calm down, at least for right now. It'll wear off in a couple of hours,” Alexander said, “And he has a point, you know. Someone has to stop this.”

“I know,” Lafayette admitted, “But not now. We need to get this one to bed. We could all do with some sleep.”

“You two can stay at my house,” Alexander offered, “I don't think they'll let him stay here, and you know how he feels about your place.”

“Merci, Alexander,” Lafayette said, taking Hercules’ hand. The Nemean lion’s eyes were dull and hazy, and he seemed about as alert as a dead horse. It was unsettling.

“How insistent were you, Alexander?” Lafayette questioned, narrowing his eyes, “He wouldn't be phased by Aaron Burr in his under clothes in this state!”

“I'm sorry! He wasn't listening, I had to!” Alexander stated, “He'll be back to normal by sunrise, I promise.”

Lafayette sighed and led Hercules back to Alexander's house.

○○○

“I'm going to Angelica’s,” Alexander said the next morning.

“Why?” Hercules asked. He had as promised, went back to normal an hour or two after they arrived at Alexander's house.

“Advice. If anyone knows how to get off this island with our lives, it's Angelica Schuyler,” Alexander said, buckling his shoes. 

“If she doesn't turn you in to George,” Lafayette felt the need to point out.

Alexander shook his head. “She won't,” he said, certainty in his voice.

Lafayette’s eyes narrowed. “How can you be so sure?”

“I just am, Gil. Trust me,” Alexander said. “You two gather up food and clothes and things. If all goes according to plan, we should be able to leave tonight.”

He didn't mention that he wasn't all that sure that the Schuylers wouldn't turn them in. He was operating on a hunch, and his hunches were almost always right.

He tried to seem casual as he walked down the city streets. No, he definitely wasn't planning on breaking the most important law in the kingdom. No, he wasn't doing it with the adoptive Prince. No, he wasn't suspicious  _ at all _ .

“Angelica?” he asked as he entered her house, “Are you home?”

“ _ Lady Schuyler _ is working in her study,” Angelica’s assistant, a short little goblin named John, said.

“I need to talk to her. It's incredibly important,” Alexander said, crossing his arms. He knew what was coming.

“Why? So you can use your siren tricks on her?” John said, and Alexander felt his eyes rolling up into his head.

“I simply want some advice, John,” he said slowly. Every time he wanted to speak to Angelica, he had to have the same argument.

“How do I know you're telling the truth? How do I know you're not manipulating me right now?”

“Because if I was, you wouldn't even think to ask that question,” Alexander replied, pinching the bridge of his nose.

John narrowed his eyes. “I'm giving you ten minutes, and if  _ anything _ seems off about the Lady after that time, I'm reporting you to the guard.”

“Of course, John,” Alexander sighed as John opened the room to Angelica's study.

The Sphinx was sitting at her desk, writing furiously. Her tail was twitching in agitation, her wings were puffed up, and Alexander could  _ feel _ the annoyance radiating off her in waves.

“Lady Schuyler, you have a visitor,” John said.

“Eliza, please, I'm sure Maria will love whatever you get h--oh. Alexander. This is a surprise,” she said as she turned to face the siren.

Alexander smiled. “A good one, I hope,” he said, flirting shamelessly.

Angelica rolled her eyes. “I hope John didn't give you too much trouble,” she said.

“Only as much as he usually does,” Alexander replied. “He's still not convinced that I'm completely trustworthy.”

“That's because you're not, Alexander,” Angelica pointed out, and Alexander could feel his face heating up.

“I need advice,” Alexander said, fighting his embarrassment.

“That's typically what people need when they come to me, yes,” Angelica said.

Alexander rolled his eyes. “I… I need to know how to leave Tératos,” he said.

Angelica sucked in a breath. “Alexander, you know as well as I, leaving the island is  _ treason _ ,” she said.

“We have to. We need to know what's going on. We don't need you to come with us, but if you could simply tell me how to get around the warding and then forget I ever came, that would be enough,” Alexander pleaded.

Angelica raised an eyebrow, her yellow feline eyes staring at him like age could see into his soul. “We,” she said simply, “So you're not alone in this endeavor?”

Alexander wanted to smack himself. “No,” he admitted, “Hercules and Lafayette are accompanying me.”

“So not only are you committing treason, you're committing treason with the King’s adoptive son? Have you finally  _ lost your mind _ ?” Angelica asked.

“Angelica, please,” Alexander begged.

The Sphinx sighed. “I'd say no,” she began, “But Eliza… she had a vision, the other night. Something about a monster and a human and a ship. I couldn't really understand.”

Alexander nodded. Eliza’s visions were hard to comprehend.

“So I'll give you advice, but you'll have to figure it out yourself,” Angelica said.

“Angelica, please, we really don't have time--”

“Do you want my help or not, Alexander?

“ _ A mouth of stone with watery breath, a rocky eye sees past the death, the jagged cove where seagulls feast, and the maiden’s voyage to the east. The monster has us in his claw, will bleed the blood to paint red dawn, _ ” Angelica recited. “Is that all you need?”

“Yes, thank you, thank you so much!” Alexander said with a wide grin as he left the office, “I'll make it up to you, I swear!”

Angelica took a deep breath, wishing she'd never heard that damned siren sing.

○○○

“I know how we’re going to leave,” Alexander said as he reentered his home.

Lafayette looked up from where he appeared to be tying up a knapsack. “And how is that?” he asked.

“There’s a cave, apparently, in the east, that if we sail through it gets us through the warding,” Alexander explained, “Or something like that. Angelica didn’t really give me a straight answer.”

“It’s Angelica, what were you expecting?” Hercules grumbled. He was sifting through Alexander’s maps and seemed to be doing better today.  _ Seemed _ being the key word. Alexander recognized the anger and sadness boiling under the lion’s skin. He’d seen it in the mirror.

“Do you have any idea where this cave could be, Gil? A cove full of gulls or something?” Alexander asked.

“There’s only one cave that I can think of that you can sail through,” Lafayette replied, “And it is to the east, on the edge of the island, where Jefferson and Madison used to live.”

“Don’t say his  _ name _ ,” Alexander groaned, “That  _ twat _ .”

“He was not so bad, before the rebellion. You could say we were friends,” Lafayette said with a shrug.

“Blasphemy,” Alexander gasped. Lafayette smacked him with a rolled up map.

“So we leave tonight?” Hercules asked.

“If we’ve got everything, I don’t see why not,” Alexander said.

“Oui, I believe we have all the supplies we’ll need,” Lafayette said, and then, “Alexander…”

“Yes?”

“Do you have any idea what we will be searching for, mon ami?”

Alexander smacked himself in the forehead. “Yes, yes, I forgot to say. Eliza had a vision, that’s why Angelica was so quick to help us. From what I gathered from Angelica’s riddle, there’s a monster we must defeat, or something similar,” he explained.

“Yes, that narrows it down. It’s not like we know any monsters,” Hercules sighed, running a hand through his mane.

“How many monsters can there be off of Tératos?” Alexander asked, “Don’t worry, Hercules. We’ll be fine.”

“If you’re so sure,” Hercules relented.

“I am.”

“Well then,” Lafayette said, “I say we load our things aboard the ship. It will be less suspicious now than at night, oui?”

“Good idea,” Alexander said, picking up a suitcase and a knapsack.

“Wait,” Hercules cut in, “What if someone  _ does  _ ask?”

“Then we say we’ve got orders from the King,” Lafayette supplied, “No one will question sa Majesté.”

Hercules nodded. “Well then,” he said, “I suggest we get started.”

○○○

The sun had long since set when the three friends returned to the  _ Adrienne _ , slipping through the city as quietly as they could.

“We’re really doing this,” Alexander whispered as he stood on the deck of the ship, looking out over his home for what may be the last time.

“That we are, mon cher petit oiseau,” Lafayette said, leaning over the rail along with Alexander. He smelled of salt water and seaweed, as always, his scales glowing in the moonlight.

“I have something for you two,” Hercules said from him and Lafayette’s shared cabin. Alexander raised an eyebrow at Lafayette, who simply shrugged.

“This isn’t the part where you tell us you’re having second thoughts, is it?” Alexander joked.

“Of course not,” Hercules reassured, “It’s actually, well…”

He held out three vials.

“Merde, Hercules,” Lafayette said, taking one of the bottles of potion, “Where did you get this?”

“You two aren’t the only ones with friends in high places,” Hercules, a twisted semblance of a grin on his face.

“How long will it last?” Alexander asked, peering at the pearlescent liquid.

“Two months, give or take a few days,” Hercules said with shrug.

Lafayette and Alexander shared a look. “Will it… change us? Will we really become…?” Lafayette’s sentence trailed off.

“Will you really be human? No,” Hercules answered the unfinished question, “But you’ll look it, and that’s what counts.”

“So I’ll still be able to, you know,” Alexander said, gesturing to his throat.

Hercules chuckled, the first laugh of any sort they’d heard from him since Elizabeth died. “Don’t worry, you’ll be just as  _ persuasive _ as ever, you just won’t have those ridiculous feathers.”

“My feathers are  _ not _ ridiculous,” Alexander huffed.

“So,” Lafayette said, uncorking his vial, “Bottoms up, eh?”

Alexander nodded hesitantly. “See you on the other side, my friends.”

All three men drank.

It was an odd experience as if one had been dipped in freezing cold liquid, only for it to become boiling hot a moment later.

A minute later, Alexander opened his eyes, not having realized he’d closed them. “Holy hell,” he muttered, staring at his two friends.

No longer was Lafayette’s hair a tangle of kelp and seaweed, no, now it was tight, dark brown coils pulled into a puff on top of his head. Gone were his scales, his gills, and the webbing between his fingers. Even the odd green undertones to his skin and the dark blue of his eyes were gone.

Hercules was no better. His eyes weren’t as wide, weren’t as angled, weren’t yellow, and even more surprisingly, his hair was  _ short _ . His ears didn’t have their usual point, and a quick glance confirmed that his tail had disappeared. Alexander would bet that if he smiled, his usual fangs would be gone.

“Mon dieux,” Lafayette mumbled, eyes wide as he stared. “I need a mirror.”

“This is bizarre,” Hercules agreed. “You both look like you, just  _ different _ . Gods, Alexander, your  _ eyes _ .”

“What? What’s wrong with them?!”Alexander shouted, his hands flying to his face. He absently noticed his talons had vanished.

“Nothing. They’re just not purple,” Hercules quickly reassured.

“I cannot help but be offended that the first things you notice are  _ Alexander’s  _ eyes,” Lafayette teased. Hercules blushed.

“Well, I, uh… I just…” he said, his hand immediately going to his mane--the mane that was no longer there. He yelped. “It’s gone! I-I can’t feel it! Where’s my mane?”

“Uh, Hercules, mon cheri, I don’t know how to say this…” Lafayette began.

“Humans typically don’t have  _ manes _ , Hercules,” Alexander reminded him.

“You guys still have long hair!” Hercules pointed out. Lafayette shrugged. “Ridiculous,” Hercules sighed.

“This whole thing is… unsettling, to say the least,” Alexander said, staring at his own featherless arms.

“And you’re sure we still have our abilities?” Lafayette asked, “I do not wish to drown, mon chaton. Do you know how embarrassing that would be?”

“I mean, I can still see perfectly fine, so I  _ think _ so,” Hercules replied.

“Well, I plan on going into the water at some point in the next two months. Will I or will I not die?” Lafayette pressed.

Hercules rolled his eyes at his partner’s dramatics. “Most likely? No.”

“I can not function on ‘most likely’s! I am a creature of the  _ sea _ , the ocean runs through my  _ veins _ , the water is my  _ only true home _ \--Alexander! Quickly now, make Hercules do something stupid,” Lafayette said, throwing his hands in the air.

“Why me?” Hercules asked.

“Because if this does not work, then you will be the reason I am misérable for the next two months.”

“Both of you, quiet!” Alexander said, glaring at the pair. They both immediately shut their mouths. “Hercules, walk around the deck three times and then sit,” Alexander ordered. Hercules did so without hesitation.

“That was not embarrassing in the  _ slightest _ ,” Lafayette complained, and Hercules glared at him.

“Gil, I think you're safe to go underwater,” Alexander said.

“You think?” Hercules grumbled.

Alexander cracked his knuckles. “Well then, I say we get going. We want to make it past the warding by morning, don't we?” he said.

Lafayette nodded and took to the wheel of the ship as Hercules raised the anchor and untied the sails.

The were just pulling out of the harbor when Alexander heard a distinct, “What in Zeus’ name?”

“Hades’ helm,” he swore, and looking down at the docks he saw none other than Aaron Burr.

“What is the meaning of this?” Burr shouted. “What's going on? What-what's wrong with you, Hamilton? Where are your feathers?”

“Damn it all,” Alexander said, “Gil? Hercules? We’ve got a problem.”

“What is it?” Hercules asked.

“Aaron Burr.”

“You're kidding me.”

“Afraid not.”

“ _ Shit _ ,” Hercules said. “Can't you make him forget he saw us?”

“Not from this far away,” Alexander admitted.

Hercules pinched the bridge of his nose. “Have him come aboard, then.”

“How?” Alexander questioned.

“He's a  _ shapeshifter _ , Alexander. Tell him to turn into a bird or a butterfly or something,” Hercules insisted.

Alexander sighed. “Aaron Burr, sir!” he shouted.

“Hamilton, what is going on?” Burr shouted back.

“Fly aboard, I'll explain everything,” Alexander yelled back. Burr seemed to consider his options for a moment before melting into a crow and flying up to the ship’s deck.

“Answer me, Alexander,” Burr ordered once he'd changed back into his more human form. “Where are your feathers? What's wrong with Lafayette and Mulligan? What are you  _ doing _ ?”

Alexander would look back on this moment and say he panicked.

“Go to sleep!” he blurted out with as much intent as he could.

Aaron Burr slumped to the ground.

“Oh my gods,” Hercules muttered, “You killed him.”

“No I didn't!” Alexander protested, “He's just sleeping!” It'll be fine!”

“What are we supposed to do now?” Hercules asked, nudging Burr with his foot. The shape shifter didn't wake.

“We have to bring him with us. If we leave him now, he’ll tell Washington, and we can’t wait for him to wake up so I can make him forget this,” Alexander explained. “It's the only option we have.”

Hercules groaned. “You're telling Gil,” he said.

○○○

Alexander had been put on Aaron Duty, Lafayette saying he was the reason Burr was aboard, so he got to watch him. The king’s guard was tied to the mast, snoring soundly, as the sun rose over the ocean and ship and its crew approached the cave.

“This is it,” Hercules said, “Alexander, light all the torches and take up your arms. I’m going up to the bow; you never know what could be in there.”

Alexander nodded and took the flint and steel from his knapsack. Once all the torches were lit, he joined Lafayette as the ship’s helm, sword in hand.

“Do you think we’ll ever see it again, Alexander?” Lafayette asked.

“See what?”

“Tératos,” Lafayette replied, steadfastly looking ahead, “Do you think we’ll ever see  _ home  _ again?”

“I thought the water was your ‘only true home’,” Alexander teased.

“Do not get smart, mon ami,” Lafayette said, “Answer me. Do you think we’ll see our Île bien-aimée again?”

Alexander sighed. “I’ve got to hope we do.”

“And if not?”

“Then I say you take one final look at Tératos, my friend,” Alexander said, voice ominous, as the darkness of the cave swallowed them whole.

The air in the cave was full of energy, causing the hair on Alexander’s arms-- _ hair _ , not feathers, and wasn’t  _ that _ a dizzying thought--to stand on end.

“All clear so far!” Hercules shouted.

The deeper into the cave they sailed, the more the air was filled with energy, cracking all around them, to the point where Alexander could feel his own skin buzzing.

“I think we’re good,” Hercules yelled. Lafayette nodded and sailed towards the light at the other end.

The cave was eerily quiet, the humming of the energy in the room the only sound. There was no noise of waves lapping against the sides, no drip of water from the stalactites above them, no splash of fish or turtles in the waters below them.

As a creature whose whole life was centered on noise, on sound, on  _ words _ , it left Alexander with an uneasy feeling in his stomach.

“I believe we are almost there,” Lafayette said. Alexander knew he was whispering, but compared to the silence of the cavern, it sounded like a scream.

Or maybe that was just the screams that broke out immediately after Lafayette spoke.

There was a haunting quality to them that seemed to carry them throughout the cave, rattling the rock.

“What in Zeus’ name?!” Hercules shouted, his dagger drawn.

Alexander pulled his sword from its sheath and hopped down from the helm onto the main deck.

He found the source of the unearthly screams.

Aaron Burr was clawing at the ropes that bound him with what appeared to be literal claws. His eyes were open but rolled back so that only the whites were showing, and his jaw seemed unhinged.

“Alexander! Make him  _ stop _ !” Lafayette cried. The screams seemed to be reverberating through the entire cavern, and rocks and pebbles began to fall from the ceiling.

“Burr!” Alexander shouted, “Burr, stop! Please! Please stop!”

His words were drowned out by the noise.

Behind them, there was a loud crack as a stalactite was claimed by the waters.

“Aaron! Aaron!” Alexander yelled louder, wincing as more and more pieces of rock chipped from the roof of the cave and fell and hit him.

Still, Aaron screamed.

Ahead of them, a large chunk of stone fell, making waves that climbed the  _ Adrienne _ ’s hull.

“Gil! Go faster!” Alexander shrieked.

“By the gods,” Hercules muttered, staring at the walls of the cave in horror, “It's all coming down.”

“Lafayette! C’mon!” Alexander yelled as more and more rays of light filtered into the dark tunnel through the ever-widening holes in the roof.

“I'm going as fast as I can!” Lafayette shouted back. “Get him  _ quiet _ !”

“I can't!” Alexander yelled in replied. Even as he said the words, he felt the knot in his throat.

This was it. This was how they died. Crushed by a collapsing cave, helpless, without even looking like themselves.

Death. This was how it got him.

Lafayette’s cries joined Aaron's as a hunk of rock crashed into the deck of the ship. Hercules’ eyes were wide in terror as another piece fell, hitting Lafayette’s arm on its way down.

“Gil!” he shouted, running towards his love. Alexander could do naught but watch as the sleeve of Lafayette’s shirt became painted with blood, as the falling rubble hit Hercules’ face, as Aaron continued to scream, his arms torn to shreds.

His eyes slipped shut as he fell to the floor.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> better late than never, my friends!

Alexander didn't expect death to hurt so much. Sure, he'd imagined  _ dying  _ couldn't be all that pleasant, but he never thought actually  _ being dead  _ would leave him this sore.

 

His throat ached. His face and hands felt as if they'd been pelted with a hundred thousand pieces of glass. His head felt like it was going to combust, and every breath sent pain shooting up and down his spine.

 

Wait.

 

_ Every breath. _

 

Alexander opened his eyes.

 

“Remercier les dieux,” a figure said from above him. It took Alexander a moment to realize that it was Lafayette, seeing as the nereid no longer truly looked like himself. That, and Alexander’s thoughts were spinning like a whirlpool. “Hercules! He's alive!”

 

“Huh?” Alexander mumbled eloquently, “Gil?”

 

“Shhh, mon ami,” Lafayette said pressing a finger to his lips, “Relax. No talking.”

 

“Gil?” Alexander asked, “Laf’ette? Wha’s goin’ on?”

 

“Hush,” Lafayette replied sternly. “We will explain later.”

 

“Who’s sailin' the boat?” Alexander mumbled, blinking slowly.

 

Lafayette rolled his eyes. “We’ve pulled ashore. Don't worry, mon cher oiseau chanteur.”

 

“Ashore?” Alexander questioned.

 

“Alexander!” Hercules roared as he entered the cabin. Like with Lafayette, a second passed before his identity clicked in Alexander's head. “My gods!” Hercules continued, “You scared me!”

 

“Wha’ happened?” Alexander asked, struggling to sit up.

 

The room swam in front of his eyes.

 

“Stay down, Alexander,” Lafayette said, easing him back down onto the pillow.

 

“Is he okay?” Hercules asked, peering down at Alexander in concern.

 

Lafayette grimaced. “I believe he has a head injury of some sort, but other than that, I'm not sure.”

 

“Shit,” Hercules said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

 

“Wha’s goin’ on? Tell me!” Alexander tried to insist, but even he knew how weak it sounded.

 

“Go back to sleep, Hamilton,” Hercules said, “Gods know you need it.”

 

Alexander tried to argue that he was  _ fine _ , damn it, but apparently, his body disagreed as he fell into another fitful sleep.

○○○

The next time Alexander woke up, he felt much better. For one thing, he could actually  _ think _ . For another, it didn't feel as if he would crumble into dust at any moment.

 

“Gil? Hercules?” he called, his throat still raw and sore.

 

“Alexander?” Hercules asked, peeking into the cabin, “Are you awake?”

 

“I believe so,” Alexander replied, rubbing his eyes. “If not, this is a very odd dream.”

 

“You mean you don't dream about me often?” Hercules teased. Alexander just huffed and rolled his eyes.

 

“What happened? In the cave?” he asked.

 

Hercules sighed. “After you passed out, everything went south.”

 

“You mean that  _ wasn't  _ south?”

 

“Ha, I wish. Gil couldn't steer properly, his arm was cut so bad,” Hercules said, scratching his neck. “You were lying on the deck with your face all scratched up, Burr was still screaming--”

 

“Burr! Where's Burr? Is he okay?” Alexander interrupted.

 

“He's… alive,” Hercules said, “He’s below deck, it's cooler down there.”

 

Alexander sighed in relief.

 

“Anyway, I looked up, and I was the only one who was, y’know, okay. And the whole cave was coming down. I had to get us out of there,” Hercules continued. “I didn’t… I didn't think we were going to make it, honestly. I thought we were going to die.”

 

“So where are we?” Alexander asked.

 

“No idea. I got us out of the cave a minute before the whole thing fell in on itself, I was mostly worried about staying afloat until Gil could sail again. I got us here, though,” Hercules replied.

 

“The cave came down?” Alexander questioned.

 

“The whole thing. It was insane.”

 

Alexander sucked in a breath. 

 

“What's wrong?” Hercules questioned, worry evident on his face.

 

“That cave was the only way through the wards,” Alexander whispered.

 

_ “Fuck.” _

 

“Mon chaton? Hercules? What are you doing?” Lafayette called. When he entered and saw Alexander sitting up and talking, he grinned. “Mon ami! I thought you would sleep forever!”

 

Alexander chuckled and rubbed his head. “I’m awake. Hercules was just telling me about how he saved our lives,” he said.

 

“Oui! It was  _ very  _ heroic. My own prince charmant,” Lafayette cooed, batting his lashes at Hercules.

 

“You’re the royalty here, Gil,” Hercules reminded him.

 

“It matters not,” Lafayette said, pressing a kiss to Hercules’ forehead. “Now, I know that is not  _ all _ you were discussing. What is going on? I know you would  _ never  _ hide something from me, mon merveilleux, cher Hercules.”

 

Any plan of not telling Laf that they might’ve had disappeared. Sometimes, Alexander swore Lafayette was the siren. He watched as Hercules’ resolve crumbled before his very eyes.

 

“The cave was the only way through the wards around Tératos,” Hercules muttered, his hand going instinctively back to his mane before he caught himself and drug it over his short curls.

 

There was a moment of silence where Lafayette seemed to be digesting the information.

 

“It seems you, Alexander, and Burr will be all my company for a while,” he said, trying to hide his obvious pain with a joke. He wiped at his eyes with the hem of his tunic.

 

Alexander played along with the false comedy and groaned. “Stuck with Burr forever? Really?” he asked. “This must be a new type of hell. I don’t think I’ve ever done anything quite that bad to merit this punishment.”

 

“You're the one who kidnapped him,” Hercules stated tiredly.

 

“It was an  _ accident _ !”

 

“Anyway,” Lafayette cut in, “Hercules, I need you to help me fix the sails. The last one still needs to be patched.”

 

“Wait, what? What happened to the sails?” Alexander asked.

 

“The rocks tore them up, but Hercules and I have them mostly sewn up,” Lafayette explained.

 

Alexander furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. “How long have I been unconscious?” he asked.

 

“About a week, oui?” Lafayette replied.

 

“Five days,” Hercules confirmed.

 

Alexander ran a hand over his face. “That’s so  _ long _ ,” he said.

 

“Oui, we were starting to worry about you, mon ami,” Lafayette said.

 

“Well, I’m up now, so what do you need me to do?” Alexander questioned, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed.

 

“Rest,” Hercules said, glaring at him. “You’re staying in that bed, Hamilton, even if I have to tie you down.”

 

Alexander raised an eyebrow. “Why, Mr. Mulligan, I never took you for the sort,” he purred.

 

“Non! Non non non! Arrêtez! Non, rien de tout cela! Tu es mon et seulement mon!” Lafayette shouted in rapid French, swatting Alexander and Hercules both over the head.

 

“What the Hades, Gil?” Hercules asked, rubbing the spot, “I didn’t say anything!”

 

Lafayette crossed his arms and glared at his friends. “I hate you both, and I regret ever talking to either of you,” he grumbled.

 

“Drama queen,” Alexander muttered.

 

Lafayette’s glower sharpened.

 

“Fine, fine, I’m sorry,” Alexander apologized.

 

Lafayette rolled his eyes. “I’m going to go get you some soup,” he said, standing up. He paused for a moment before grabbing Hercules by the arm and dragging him along. “And Hercules is coming with me!”

○○○

Alexander was going to run himself through with a broadsword if he had to lie in the godsforsaken bed another day. No, another hour. Minute.  _ Second _ .

 

He’d been on mandatory bed rest for what felt like  _ ages _ but was actually two days. He’d started, then scrapped, then restarted a new novel six times. He’d read all fives books he’d brought with him from home. He’d plotted plan after plan after plan for how they were going to defeat whatever monster it was that Angelica had mentioned. He’d sketched, he’d beat both Lafayette and Hercules at cards, he’d debated with himself, and, when he was certain no one was in ear shot, he’d sang ever so softly under his breath.

 

“Hercules! Lafayette!” he shouted.

 

“Yes?” Hercules asked, poking his head in the door frame.

 

“I’m getting out of bed,” Alexander stated stubbornly.

 

Hercules sighed. “No, you’re not,” he said.

 

“Yes, I am.”

 

“Alexander, you were  _ almost dead  _ two days ago,” Hercules reminded him.

 

“And now I’m alive and fully functioning. I’m  _ fine _ , Hercules,” Alexander argued. “I’m going, and you know you can’t stop me.”

 

“I swear, someday we’re getting you a muzzle,” Hercules muttered. “Alright, you can get up, but you’re going to be helpful. Gil thinks he saw some berry bushes in the brush, and I’m getting a bit tired of salted fish and biscuits and salmagundi.”

 

“The brush?” Alexander asked.

 

“Oh! I keep forgetting you haven’t seen the island. Come on. If you insist on getting out of bed, I might as well show you around,” Hercules said, helping Alexander to his feet.

 

Alexander barely wobbled, much to his delight.

 

Hercules lead out to the deck of the ship, and Alexander gasped at the sights around him.

 

It was  _ nothing _ like Tératos.

 

Tératos was covered with cypress, olive and poplar trees, ferns, and colorful flowers. There were tall mountains and rocky coasts. Smoke was constantly billowing from the chimney of tall houses or from caves and dens in the mountains and hills. The sky was clear and blue, and the water surrounding it was a shimmering turquoise. This... 

 

It was rocky cliffs covered in green grass, as far the eye could see. There were a few patches of, well, brush here and there, but it all felt empty. The sky was gray, the water navy, the sun hidden behind a blanket of clouds. The cliffs surrounding the ship on both sides gave way to an open valley in front of them, giving the place a sense of being both isolating and wide open.

 

It was so different, and yet still undoubtedly beautiful.

 

“Whoa,” Alexander muttered.

 

“That's what Gil and I said,” Hercules agreed.

 

“Where is Gil?” Alexander asked.

 

“He's, uh, tending to Burr,” Hercules replied, scratching his neck.

 

Alexander immediately felt guilty. He’d barely given a moment's thought to Aaron Burr since he'd woke up.

 

“How is Burr?” he asked.

 

“Still asleep, but his arms are healing pretty well.”

 

There was a moment's pause.

 

“I'll go pick those berries,” Alexander said. Hercules nodded.

 

“I'll go tell Gil. And Hamilton?”

 

“Yes?” Alexander asked.

 

“Don't wander off.”

○○○

Alexander guessed this counted as wandering.

 

He’d been picking those stupid berries like some fairy tale maiden when he’d noticed something glittering out of the corner of his eye. And, being as curious as he was, he wasn’t just going to stand there and wonder what it was. He was going to investigate.

 

He’d found a  _ sword _ . Just lying in the grass. Its owner was nowhere to be seen, and now Alexander was sitting on the other side of the cliffs, holding the sword in his lap.

 

It wasn’t like any sword he’d ever seen. Instead of the wide, flat blades he was used to, like the one in his sheath, it was long and thin. He didn’t really know how it was supposed to be used. One could hardly slice into an enemy with such a skinny blade, especially since its only sharp point was its, well,  _ point _ . There were no sharp edges. It bothered Alexander on more levels than one.

 

Alexander spun the hilt in his hand. The balance was good, he supposed. It was obviously high quality, even if it did seem completely useless.

 

Alexander gave it a swing and grinned at the sound of the air whistling around it. He continued swinging it, trying to do his normal fighting maneuvers as he did. It didn’t exactly work.

 

“This is a  _ terrible _ sword,” he said, glaring at the offending object. He ran a fingertip down the sound of the blade and hissed. It was sharp, so it was apparently used for something other than decoration. “How are you even supposed to use this? Are you just supposed to  _ jab _ at your enemy until they die?”

 

“Typically? Yes,” a voice said from behind him, and Alexander almost jumped out of his skin. He quickly spun around, drawing his own sword.

 

It was a  _ human _ .

 

Alexander about screamed.

 

“Who-who are you? Where did you come from?” he stammered, pointing his sword at the human.

 

The  _ human _ . Alexander had never seen a human, or, if he had, it had been when he was so young that he didn’t remember it. He looked… normal. Maybe it was just because Alexander had gotten almost used to the way he, Lafayette, and Hercules now looked, but this person didn’t look all  _ that _ odd. He was about as tall as Alexander, with long, curly brown hair and a face covered in freckles.

 

“Whoa there. Calm down, man,” the human said, raising his hands in the air.

 

“Tell me who you are,” Alexander ordered, thankfully getting his voice to stop shaking.

 

“My name is John Laurens,” the human said, “I’m from the city down the river? Kilkenny?”

 

“I’m sorry, what?” Alexander asked.

 

“My name is John Laurens, I’m from Kilkenny,” the human repeated, raising an eyebrow.

 

“What is  _ Kilkenny _ ?”

 

“Really?” Laurens asked, “It’s the  _ capital _ .”

 

“The capital of where?” Alexander questioned, eyes narrowing.

 

Laurens threw his hands in the air. “Of here! Of Ándras!” he shouted.

 

“This place has a capital?” Alexander asked in surprise. As far as he’d seen, this island was empty.

 

“ _ Yes _ , it has a capital. How much have you had to drink, man?” Laurens said, his eyes twinkling mirthfully.

 

“Well, I’m  _ sorry _ for not knowing the name and capital of the island we  _ shipwrecked  _ on!” Alexander yelled indignantly.

 

Laurens took a step back. “Oh,” he said quietly.

 

“Yes,  _ oh _ ,” Alexander snapped. “Now, Mr. Laurens, it's been great, but I really should get going. Gil and Hercules are probably worried.”

 

“Wait,” Laurens said, “I can't just let you  _ go _ . You said you were shipwrecked. I can help.”

 

Alexander narrowed his eyes. This had to be a trick. “We're fine, thank you,” he said, turning on his heel.

 

“Look, I know this whole thing has been a mess. Let me restart, alright? My name is John Laurens,” Laurens said from behind him. Alexander turned around. Laurens had his hand stuck out.

 

Alexander rolled his eyes and placed a kiss to the man's knuckles. “Alexander Hamilton,” he said, “Now really, I have to go. Hercules told me not to wander off, and I'm pretty sure this counts as wandering.”

 

Laurens blushed. “You were supposed to sha--never mind,” he said, “Let me at least walk you back, okay? Wouldn't want you snatched up by any monsters, y’know.”

 

Alexander visibly balked. “W-what?” he asked, eyes wide.

 

Laurens laughed. “I'm joking, I'm joking. Everyone knows monsters aren't real, man,” he said.

 

Alexander blinked twice, forcing himself to laugh. “Of course! Monsters. Ha! That's-that's insane.”

 

“Exactly! My father, he still goes on about them, talks about how my great-great-great-great-great-great-however-many-greats-grandfather fought in King George’s War or something,” Laurens said, rolling his eyes. “It’s ridiculous if you ask me.”

 

The ground felt like it was giving way under Alexander’s feet. “Absolutely,” he agreed, his voice an octave higher than usual. He coughed to get it back down to normal. He knew he could--and probably should--convince Laurens to just leave him alone, to forget he ever existed, but Alexander knew humans were much more susceptible to his powers, and call him soft hearted, but he didn’t want to accidentally hurt this man. So, instead, he just smiled. “I suppose, if you insist on joining me, we should get going. I don’t want Lafayette to keep me in bed again.”

 

“Great!” Laurens replied, grinning. “Though, may I ask why you were being kept in bed?”

 

“Oh, I passed out in the shipwreck, got tossed around a bit,” Alexander said with a shrug, “Hercules and Gil decided that warranted bed rest.”

 

“Are they your crewmates?” Laurens asked.

 

“I guess you’d call them that, yes,” Alexander responded with a shrug. “They’re more like my brothers, actually.”

 

Laurens smiled again, but it was a sort of melancholy smile. “And you’re all sailors?”

 

“Gil is. He’s our captain, actually. Hercules is his first mate, even though technically he’s a tailor and  _ hates _ the water. I’m a cartographer,” Alexander explained.

 

Laurens laughed, and Alexander couldn’t help but smile wider. “That’s a… well-rounded group, I guess,” Laurens said. “Where are you all from? Nowhere around here, I’m guessing.”

 

Alexander swallowed. Shit. “You’d, uh, you’d be right. Little island, far from here. You’ve probably never heard of it.”

 

“Try me,” Laurens said with a smirk.

 

Alexander wracked his brain for a name. “Semata,” he said finally. 

 

Laurens frowned. “You’re right. I’ve never heard of it.”

 

Alexander smiled, but it felt more like a grimace. “Told you,” he said weakly. “C’mon. The  _ Adrienne  _ is around this rock and then down the hill.”

 

“The  _ Adrienne _ ? Is that French?” Laurens asked.

 

“Yes,” Alexander said, “Gil’s from France, or he was at some point. I doubt he actually remembers it.”

 

They circled around the rock, and there, at the bottom of the hill, was the ship. Alexander gasped. Lafayette and Hercules had implied that there’d been some damage to the boat, but this…

 

“Oh,” Laurens said, staring at the cracks in the hull and the split mast and patched sails.

 

For a moment, Alexander was glad that the Crest of the Royal Navy had been patched over.

 

“Yes,” Alexander agreed. “Let’s go.”

 

Lafayette was in the water — because  _ of course _ , he was — nailing boards over the breaks in the wood framework. Hercules was sitting on the deck, sewing what seemed to be the last sail.

 

“So those two are your  _ only _ crewmates?” Laurens asked, and for a moment Alexander considered telling him about Burr, but decided against it and nodded.

 

“Alexander!” Lafayette said, swimming back to the beach, “You’re ba--mes dieux.”

 

“Gil, this is John Laurens,” Alexander said with an apologetic smile, “He’s from the town over, Kill-something. Laurens, this is Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette. We usually just call him Gil.”

 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Laurens,” Lafayette said, smiling charmingly, with a small bow as he stood. “If you'll excuse me and my friend for a moment, there's something I have to ask him about.”

 

John nodded, and Lafayette drug Alexander across the beach.

 

“What the  _ fuck,  _ Alexander? A  _ human?  _ Have you lost your mind?” he hissed.

 

“I’m sorry!” Alexander replied, “He found me on the other side of the cliffs, I was looking at this sword I found in the grass--by the way, swords here? Completely useless--and he just  _ decided  _ he was going to follow me back!”

 

“Oh, oui, I apologize for snapping,” Lafayette said in a tone of voice that said he was the  _ opposite _ of sorry, “I forgot that there’s  _ no way _ you could’ve prevented that. It’s not as if you have some sort of  _ ability _ that could’ve kept him from following you here--oh  _ wait _ ! You  _ do _ , you utter imbécile!”

 

“I didn’t want to hurt him!” Alexander argued. “I’ve never persuaded a human before, I don’t know how it could affect him!”

 

Lafayette glared at him. “You shouldn’t have  _ cared _ , Alexander! Do you forget everything his people have  _ done _ ? To your family? To  _ Mine _ ?”

 

“That was  _ eight hundred and fifty  _ years ago, Lafayette! They don’t even think we  _ exist _ ,” Alexander hissed furiously.

 

“First Burr, now this?”

 

“I’m sorry, alright? I messed up, and I’m sorry. We can’t change it now.”

 

Lafayette sneered. “I’m going for a  _ swim _ , when I get back this had better be fixed, or  _ alors les dieux me vont aider _ .” With that, he turned on his heel and marched back to the water, and quickly disappeared beneath the tide.

 

Alexander sighed and walked back to Laurens. “What was  _ that _ ?” Laurens asked because apparently, humans had  _ no _ sense of privacy.

 

“He’s, uh, just mad about how damaged the  _ Adrienne _ is,” Alexander lied, thinking quickly. Thank Zeus, Laurens seemed to believe him.

 

Unfortunately, this whole ordeal had caught Hercules’ attention (he’d probably been able to hear every word they said, thanks to his stupid lion hearing).

 

“Alexander,” he said as he stepped off the gangway, “I was expecting you to bring back  _ berries _ , not  _ guests _ .”

 

Alexander resisted the urge to turn and run away. “Hercules, this is John Laurens. Mr. Laurens, Hercules Mulligan,” he said instead. Hercules glowered at Laurens and bowed stiffly as Laurens stuck out his hand again.

 

“Why do you keep doing that?” Alexander asked, unable to contain his curiosity any longer.

 

“What?” Laurens asked.

 

“You keep sticking your hand out like that. Why?”

 

“I’m trying to shake your hand,” Laurens said.

 

Alexander furrowed his brow. “Trying to what?”

 

“Shake your hand. You know, as a greeting?” Laurens asked.

 

“No, I do not know,” Alexander said. “We… don’t do that. How do you do it?”

 

“How do you shake hands?”

 

“Yes,” Alexander said.

 

Laurens seemed completely taken aback, and Hercules was glaring at Alexander like he was trying to kill him with his own very eyes.

 

“Well,” Laurens said, sticking his hand out, “First we, well, we grab hands.” Alexander nodded and took Laurens’ hand. He noticed that Laurens blushed. “No, not like--we’re not  _ holding hands _ . We’re just…” Laurens adjusted their hands. “Like this, okay? And now you just…” Laurens moved his hand up and down.

 

“This seems completely meaningless,” Alexander said, staring at their joined hands. “Why do you do this?”

 

“I don’t know, we just do,” Laurens said helplessly, “We can stop now.”

 

“Oh!” Alexander said, pulling back his hand. Laurens was blushing again. “Sorry.”

 

Hercules coughed. “Mr. Laurens, I’m sorry about this, but I need to tell Hamilton something, we’ll be right back,” he said before he too tugged Alexander down the beach.

 

“No,” he growled once they were out of earshot.

 

“What?” Alexander asked.

 

“No,” Hercules repeated, “I recognize that face. No. We aren't keeping the human.”

 

Alexander crossed his arms. “I wasn’t going to suggest that we--”

 

“Maybe not right now, but I know you, Alexander, and I’m saying  _ no _ before you get any ideas,” Hercules said. “The human isn’t going to be one of your  _ projects _ .”

 

“What’s the harm in learning about them, huh? Know your enemy and all that?” Alexander snapped.

 

“No.”

 

“Besides, since we can’t get back to Tératos, we might as well--”

 

“No, Alexander!”

 

Alexander crossed his arms in a huff. “Fine,” he said, “But I’m not convincing him of anything.”

 

“Alexander, you can't just let him go. He'll tell others. You  _ have  _ to,” Hercules argued.

 

“No!” Alexander shouted. “I won't! I don't want to hurt him. You're not going to make me.”

 

Apparently, there was some force behind those words because Hercules nodded. “Okay,” he agreed, “You don't have to persuade him. Just… we can't let him hang around, alright, Alexander?”

 

Alexander felt terrible for manipulating his friend like that, even on accident. He always did, but there was no stopping it once it had been done. “Alright,” he said.

 

The two of them turned back to Laurens, who was drumming his fingers against his leg as he observed the  _ Adrienne _ .

 

“The hull should be fine once it's patched up,” he said, noticing Hercules and Alexander staring at him, “But there's no way you can salvage the mast. It's split clean in two! How did all this happen?”

 

Hercules narrowed his eyes at Alexander. “It's a long story,” he said.

 

“I only ask because the weather has been clear for weeks now, and there's no way your ship took so much damage without a storm,” John replied.

 

“There was a storm, about a week ago, that we got caught in. We drifted a ways before I got us here,” Hercules confirmed.

 

Laurens whistled. “Impressive,” he said.

 

“Thank you,” Hercules said.

 

“You are going to need a mast. There's a shop in town--”

 

“No, no, Mr. Laurens. We'll be fine. There's no need,” Alexander interrupted him quickly.

 

“You guys can't sail without a mast! If it's money you're concerned about, don't be worried. I'll pay for you,” Laurens insisted.

 

“I'm sure we'll scrounge up something, Mr. Laurens,” Alexander responded.

 

“With what? There are no trees anywhere near by. Mr. Hamilton, Mr. Mulligan, come with me to town. Please.”

 

Hercules sighed. “I'm sure Alexander could accompany you,” he said reluctantly.

 

“Great!” John said with a wide grin that Alexander couldn't help but mirror.

 

“I'll tell Gil,” Hercules said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is... not great... but as usual, tell me what you thought!


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys go to Kilkenny. John deals with Internalized Homophobia. Alexander gets Pissed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MORE TROPES HELL YEAH this is a Mess

Alexander didn’t know what to expect from a human town, but this was… well, underwhelming.

 

The whole thing felt sad. Everything was in shades of gray or brown, the people looked weary and worn, and there was a thick gloom about the place.

 

And it  _ stank _ .

 

Alexander didn’t say any of this, of course. He simply followed Laurens down the cobblestone streets. “The lumber mill is across the river,” Laurens explained, “We can buy the wood for your mast there. I can have a few of my, uh,  _ colleagues _ help us carry it back down to the  _ Adrienne _ \---”

 

“That won’t be necessary,” Alexander cut in.

 

“Yes, it will. Two men can’t that much wood that far,” Laurens replied.

 

“No one else can know about the ship, or us,” Alexander said.

 

John raised an eyebrow and took a step back. “Are you pirates?” he asked.

 

“What?” Alexander asked, “No! Of course not!”

 

“Then why can’t anyone know?” Laurens questioned. “Are you fugitives from the law?”

 

_ Technically, yes. But not the law Laurens was thinking about. _

 

“I assure you, we’re not criminals,” Alexander said, holding his hands out in front of Laurens. “We just, uh… We’re, um…”

 

“Well, that’s a  _ very _ convincing argument,” Laurens said sarcastically, crossing his arms over his chest.

 

“We’re on a secret mission from our king,” Alexander blurted out, praying no one else overheard them.

 

Laurens narrowed his eyes. “Yes, that’s  _ so _ believable.”

 

“I swear, it’s the truth,” Alexander supplied. This was  _ fine _ . Convincing people of something was Alexander’s specialty. “Our island is in danger, there’s sickness and disaster--His Majesty sent us to try and discover a way to fix it. We’re not to expose our weakness or our enemies may take advantage of it. Please, John Laurens, you  _ must  _ believe me. No one can know we’re here.”

 

For a moment, Laurens was silent, and Alexander grinned. Then he noticed the fog rolling over the human’s eyes and swore under his breath. “Laurens?” he asked in quiet concern, placing a hand on Laurens’ forehead. “Are you alright?”

 

Laurens just nodded, his eyes still hazy.

 

Alexander mumbled a curse under his breath. “Laurens?” he asked again, placing a hand on the man's shoulder.

 

“I trust you,” Laurens mumbled.

 

Alexander swore again. He hated when this happened. “Laurens, come on. Come back, man,” he muttered.

 

A full minute or two later, the light seemed to reappear in Laurens’ eyes.

 

“Let's get the things for your mast then, eh, Mr. Hamilton?” he said easily, and Alexander's stomach turned. That could've been disastrous.

 

“If you insist, Mr. Laurens,” Alexander replied.

 

They ended up getting the lumber they needed, and Laurens even managed to talk the mill workers into allowing them to haul it down with the mill's horse and cart.

 

Alexander cringed when the price was stated, but Laurens paid without blinking an eye.

 

Soon, Alexander was seated next to John Laurens as they drove the cart down to the  _ Adrienne _ .

 

“How did you pay for all of that?” Alexander asked, “Two hundred and twenty-three pieces of gold… I do not know of the currency here, but where I'm from, that's, well, a lot.”

 

Laurens sighed. “My father is the Lord and Master of Ándras,” he explained, “Money is not an issue.”

 

Alexander wanted to kick himself. How had he managed to stumble upon a member of the  _ royal family  _ of this island? Of all the people!

 

Instead of mutilating his own leg, Alexander cleared his throat. “Wow,” he said, “That's… fortunate, I suppose.”

 

Laurens huffed. “It is if you enjoy the prospect of having your whole life planned out for you without your consultation. If you like rolling in wealth as you watch everyone around you  _ starve _ . If you like having someone breathing down your neck and plotting your death every moment. If you enjoy watching your family treat other humans as lesser or worthless just because they're of a different class or they're skin is a different color,” he said, his voice growing louder as he went.

 

“That's-that’s  _ absurd _ !” Alexander said, “Is that what's it's truly like here?”

 

“Is that not how it's like on Semata?” John asked.

 

“No,  _ gods no! _ On T-Semata, the king gives the overflow of his treasury to the people who need it most. It all started because when we arrived, no one had anything. We all had to share, had to look out for each other. It didn't seem right to leave our neighbors and fellow citizens lying in the dust as others rose to power,” Alexander rambled, “Lady Wheatley proposed the legislation as her final act in her term as the King’s advisor.”

 

“A Lady acting as the King’s advisor?” Laurens asked, “Did her family have no men?”

 

Alexander raised a quizzical eyebrow. “Her family and the number of men it contains has nothing to do with it,” he said, “The people elected Lady Wheatley.”

 

“They  _ elected  _ her?” Laurens asked, even more surprised.

 

“Of course!” Alexander replied, “All of the King’s advisors are elected.”

 

“Your home sounds incredibly odd,” Laurens admitted as they rode around the cliffs to the beach where the ship was pulled ashore.

 

“You have no idea,” Alexander agreed.

○○○

Lafayette and Hercules, while not ecstatic about Laurens’ presence, were grateful for the wood and the extra hands.

 

“Do your colleagues dislike me?” Laurens asked as he and Alexander tied two pieces of wood.

 

Alexander tilted his head to the side. “Why would you think that?” he asked. Laurens snorted.

 

“Clearly you can see how uncomfortable they are around me.”

 

“It's simply because no one is supposed to know of our expedition,” Alexander replied with a shrug. “It's not personal.”

 

“Oh,” Laurens said with a smile, “That's good news. I'd hate to have offended them.”

 

“Don’t worry, dear Laurens, they’ll warm up to you,” Alexander said with a grin.

 

“You two! Stop flirting! I’d like to be able to leave by the end of next week,” Lafayette said, tossing a rag at Alexander’s head. Laurens choked on air.

 

Alexander paid the human no attention as he smirked at Lafayette. “And  _ I  _ would like to be able to walk into the cabins without seeing you and Hercules with your tongues down each other’s throats,” he quipped, “but we don't always get our way.”

 

“Wha-what?!” Laurens sputtered. “Excuse me, pardon, what? Can-can I get some explanation here?”

 

“Hercules and Gil. Surely you can’t be  _ that _ oblivious. The two of them don’t have a shred of modesty between them, I swear,” Alexander said in exasperation.

 

“We can hear you, petit oiseau!” Lafayette called.

 

“I really don’t have it in me to care!” Alexander yelled back.

 

“You mean they’re  _ together _ ?” Laurens asked, seemingly stuck on that issue.

 

“Of course. What did you  _ think _ they were?”

 

Laurens blanched. “I-I simply thought they were close friends!”

 

Alexander’s eyebrows furrowed together. Were humans honestly this stupid? Lafayette and Hercules were as far from  _ subtle _ as Alexander had ever seen. Or, maybe, humans were just… closer… to their companions than monsters were.

 

“If that is the behavior of ‘close friends’ on Ándras, then this place might be more fun than I previously thought,” Alexander joked. Laurens was left a fumbling mess yet again.

 

“No! No no no no  _ no _ . This-this--no!” Laurens spluttered.

 

“Then what are you talking about? You’re not making any sense,” Alexander said.

 

“A man and a man--men--aren’t--it’s not--”

 

Alexander blinked a few times. “Is it because they’re in a homosexual relationship?” he asked.

 

Laurens nodded rapidly.

 

Immediately Alexander tensed up. “Do you have something  _ against _ homosexual relationships?” he asked.

 

Laurens seemed to flounder for a moment. “It-it’s simply  _ unnatural _ . Men weren’t  _ created _ to-to be with other men! It goes against the natural order,” he finally said.

 

Alexander’s eyes narrowed. “There is nothing  _ unnatural _ about  _ love _ , and if you cannot see and accept that, I don’t believe I want to acquaint myself with you any longer,” he growled, snatching the rope from Laurens’ hands.

 

“No, no, Hamilton, listen--”

 

“I think I’ve listened damn well enough, John Laurens,” Alexander hissed.

 

“Hamilton, Alexander, please--”

 

“Leave, Laurens,” Alexander spat. A moment later he put more force into the words. “Go!”

 

The fog clouding Laurens’ eyes was immediate, and the man stumbled to his feet and began walking away without second thought.

 

A few minutes later, Lafayette and Hercules made their way over to Alexander’s side. “Mind telling us what  _ that _ was all about?” Hercules asked.

 

“That-that fucking piece of sentient  _ scum _ said you two were  _ unnatural _ ,” Alexander said as he tied off the rope.

 

“What?” Lafayette asked in surprise, “Did he figure out--mon dieux, Alexander, did you  _ tell him _ and then  _ send him back _ ?!”

 

“No!” Alexander exclaimed, “No, it wasn’t anything like that, I swear. It was just…” The siren took a deep breath. “Because you two are together. He said it was wrong. That it went against the natural order. I couldn’t just let that stand.”

 

Hercules sighed. “I know you cared for him, Alexander, but trust me, this is for the best,” he said.

 

“I don't ‘care for him’,” Alexander spat, “How could I?”

 

“You are fooling no one, mon cher oiseau,” Lafayette replied. “If you truly didn't care, you wouldn't be so hurt by his actions.”

 

“Well, it's over now, so. Don't we have a ship to repair?” Alexander asked, turning back to his work.

 

Lafayette and Hercules stood there for a moment, staring at their friend in concern before turning and going back to their work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I!!! Am Desperate!!! For opinions!!!
> 
> also. like. sorry this is so short.


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the Aftermath, ft. burr, Angelica, and Eliza

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fuck my laptop and also school

John stomped his way back up the cliffs. He tried to think, tried to reason what exactly had happened, why exactly he was marching his way through the highlands, but his mind felt foggy and cloudy.

Hamilton had told him to leave, so he’d done it. He hadn’t even thought to question it. Of course, he’d do what Hamilton said. It was Hamilton.

That wasn’t the most pressing matter on his mind. No, he was more focused on what he’d seen.

Hamilton’s friends were together, in every sense of the word. They were together, and Hamilton had no qualms with it. In fact, he’d gotten angry when John had mentioned the law regarding such matters, as if outraged at its mere existence, as if he wasn’t even aware that it existed – for good reason, a voice that sounded suspiciously like his father added. Of course, Hamilton and his friends had to have known of it. How could they not? He doubted that the laws on Ándras were that different. They were universal, his father had told him, and for all that he doubted his father in most matters, this was one where he deferred to his judgment. It was better than to, well. It didn’t bear considering; the mere thought was a crime in itself.

Lafayette and Mulligan were together, and they seemed happy. Healthy. They seemed like good people. They weren’t evil or mentally challenged or anything like the stories John had heard about people who had chosen to lie with those of their same sex. They were an aberration within an aberration.

The whole thing put John on edge.  
○○○  
“Alexander, come eat. You can't starve yourself because you're upset about Laurens,” Hercules said.

“I'm fine, Hercules. Busy,” Alexander replied.

“Alexander,” Lafayette said, “You've knotted that rope four times since we've been over here. Come eat.”

“No.”

“Alexander.”

“No!” Alexander shouted, “I'm sorry, but no. I'm not hungry. Just let me work, okay?”

“We're not going to let you starve, Hamilton,” Hercules said.

“Look,” Alexander snapped, “I'll eat later. Just let me be, alright? I’m angry now, yes, but Laurens is gone, and that's what you wanted, right?”

Lafayette rolled his eyes. “I would have vastly preferred it if he hadn’t been here in the first place; or, failing that, that he had not seen our ship, or been told half of His Majesty’s secrets.”

“What do you mean, ‘told half of His Majesty’s secrets’? What secrets?” Alexander asked.

Lafayette waved his hands, gesturing at the wreck. “This. That. Things in general. I know you, and much as I love you, I know you can’t keep your mouth shut for more than five seconds. You had been bound to tell him something.”

Alexander’s mind flashed back to their conversation on the wagon on the way back to the ship, back to him admitting the distress on their island, back to him explaining the politics of Tératos, and swore under his breath.

Lafayette’s eyes narrowed. “What did you tell him?” he asked.

“Uh, nothing super important--they were mostly lies anyway!” Alexander rushed to say.

“Alexander,” Hercules prompted, “What did you tell him?”

“Just that we come from an island far from here, and that our island is in trouble,” Alexander muttered.

Lafayette threw his hands in the air. “Of course!” he exclaimed.

“I didn’t tell him what island it was, or where it was located! He has absolutely no way of finding Tératos,” Alexander countered.

“You shouldn’t have mentioned it in the first place,” Hercules replied.

“He thought we were pirates,” Alexander shot back, “He would’ve told the authorities our location, and we’d be in even more trouble now.”

“You should have sent him away before he could have developed such suspicions.”

“I already said, I don’t know how my powers affect humans!” Alexander shouted in frustration.

“Why do you care about humans so much?!” Lafayette yelled, his voice slowly climbing higher and higher. “I thought you hated them!”

Alexander gestured wildly. “I-I-I-I do! I mean, I did, but--damn it, Lafayette, things have changed! These people are innocent. They didn’t do anything! You’re holding them accountable for things they have nothing to do with!”

“How do you know they’ve changed?” Hercules asked, “Laurens said we were unnatural just for being together, how do you think he’d react to us being us?”

Alexander visibly slumped, and Hercules sighed. “I’m going to go check on Mr. Burr. Try not to adopt any more humans while I’m gone.” He turned and stalked away, his footsteps not making so much as a murmur of a sound.

Lafayette glared at Alexander for another moment before he turned and walked out into the surf.  
○○○  
John sat at the table in his father’s house, letting his eyes glaze over and his mind wander as his father, the Lord Henry Laurens of Ándras, went on and on about his latest plans and policies for Ándras. 

It wasn’t that John wasn’t interested in the future and well-being of his home -- on the contrary, he spent a good deal of his time coming up with possible plans and solutions to problems that his people faced -- but that was just it: while his father was concerned for the good of his family, his allies, and his treasury, John was concerned for the good of his people. While his father planned massive balls and galas to impress nearby provinces and lordships, while he schemed to gain more power for the Laurens family, while he plotted ways to bolster his army and coffer, John worried over the fates of people under their rule.

The things Hamilton had said about Semata had stuck in his mind. Elected advisors and officials? Women holding positions of power openly and freely? Homosexual relationships being accepted and welcomed? They were all radical notions, the likes of which John had never heard before.

They intrigued him more than he’d like to admit.

“Jack? Jack, are you listening at all?” 

John flinched as he was shocked back into reality. “What?” he asked, shaking his head a little to clear his mind. 

His father glared at him. “And there’s the answer to my question. If you cared enough about our future as a family to listen, you’d know that I was discussing the preparations for the banquet and tournament we’re hosting in a few weeks,” he said, “The one where you’re to meet Lady Martha of Epandrosi.”

John couldn’t stop the sigh that escaped him. “Father, I’ve told you, I have no interest in Lady Martha at all. Honestly,” the pointed out.

“You’ve never met her, Jack. How do you know you aren’t interested?” his father replied.

“I’ve been sending letters to her since I was eight, father,” John groaned, rolling his eyes, “At this point, marrying her would be like marrying a sister.”

Lord Laurens narrowed his eyes. “Jack,” he said, his voice low, “You are twenty-three. It is time for you to start doing your duty to this island, instead of getting into bar fights over bastard children and painting wildlife in your bedroom. And part of your duty is to find a wife that will benefit Ándras. Lady Martha is from a wealthy family with a large navy and close ties to the crown. To turn down this marriage would be beyond foolish. You’re going to marry her, and you’re going to start taking your responsibilities seriously.”

“Father--”

“And you will not disrespect or disregard my wishes, is that understood?”

John lowered his eyes. “Yes, father.”  
○○○  
“I’m worried about Alexander,” Hercules said as he sat on the edge of the Adrienne.

“Why is that, mon chaton?” Lafayette asked as he swam below, disappearing under the waves and only coming up to reply to whatever Hercules was saying. How he could hear Hercules while underwater was a mystery to the lion, but he figured it must be a nereid thing.

Hercules scratched the back of his neck, as he’d taken to doing since his mane had disappeared with his tail and his claws and his fangs. “He seems really upset about Laurens,” he said, “Last time I saw him this beat up about something like this, it was with Eliza.”

“Hercules, mon cher, if you are implying what I think you’re implying, you’d better not be,” Lafayette responded before flipping in the water.

“What does that even--look, point is, he’s really upset, and I’m worried,” Hercules said.

Lafayette sighed as he floated atop the water. “You usually are,” he muttered before clearing his throat and continuing, “Alexander will be fine. He just gets wrapped up in these things. You know how he is. What I’m wondering is, how are you?”

“How am I?” Hercules asked skeptically, “I’m fi--”

“Hercules Mulligan, I swear, if you say you’re fine, I will… do something, and you won’t be happy about it,” Lafayette interrupted, “Your sister passed away a week ago. You cannot be ‘fine’, however much you try to seem so.”

There was a moment before Hercules’ demeanor shifted. He slouched, his face fell, and he looked infinitely more tired. It was as if someone had pulled a lever and suddenly revealed how he was truly feeling.

“I…” he began, “Not great.”

Within a moment, Lafayette had hoisted himself up the ropes hanging over the edge of the boat and was at Hercules’ side.

“Would you like to talk?” the nereid asked, placing a hand on Hercules’ knee, “Or do you want quiet?”

Hercules sighed. “I just… I still can’t believe it, y’know? I can’t believe she’s-she’s...” his statement trailed off as he took a deep breath. Lafayette could see the tears forming in his eyes.

“You don’t have to say it, Hercules,” he whispered, wrapping his arms around Hercules’ shoulders. “It’s okay.”

“But it’s not, Gil,” Hercules replied, leaning into the hug, “It’s not okay.”

Lafayette’s grip on his boyfriend tightened. “But it will be,” he whispered. “It will be. I promise.”  
○○○  
Aaron Burr was tired. It wasn't an unfamiliar feeling at this point. It seemed all he felt at any given time was just exhaustion, pulling and tugging him under waves of darkness and pain.

He didn't remember what had happened after he boarded the ship, and he didn't really recall much from the few fleeting moments he'd been awake since.

He had, however, scrapped a couple of things together here and there.

Lafayette ladling soup into his mouth. At least, he assumed it was Lafayette. It sounded like him, and the figure carried that ever present scent of saltwater and seaweed that followed Lafayette like smoke to a flame, but it most definitely did not look like Lafayette.

Then, another rare memory, this one of Mulligan, slathering his arms in a clean smelling cream and then wrapping them in damp bandages. He, too, looked different--he was missing a good deal of his hair, and his eyes weren't yellow and glowing in the dark.

And now? Now, as he peeled his eyes open, there were faint slivers of light shining in through slats of wood above him. He must've been below deck if the barrels and crates surrounding him were any indicators, and his arms were still bandaged.

He was still so tired.

He was alone.  
○○○  
John woke up at six, just as he always did. He stretched and crawled out of bed just as the sun barely began to filter in through the drapes of his window.

His siblings didn't understand his early rising tendencies, content to sleep until lunch.

That was part of why John was up as early as he was.

He sat on the terrace outside his room, a hot cup of tea in hand, and surveyed to land below him. Ahead of him, the docks and the sea, as far and blue and dark as his eyes would allow him to see. To his right, the city square, where shops were just opening and the marketers were setting up their stalls. To his left, the long cobbled roads, winding across Ándras, streaks of gray against green pastures and rolling hills.

And farther to his right, past his line of vision, past the slopes and rough terrain, beyond the edge of the hustle and bustle of Kilkenny and behind the cliffs, was the Adrienne, marooned in rocks and sand.

John didn’t understand his fascination with the Adrienne and her crew, nor his fascination with the world they came from. He only knew that when he dreamed at night, it was of Hamilton's dark eyes, of the lavender glow they seemed to have when he'd told him to trust him and told him to leave. He dreamed of their island, of Semata, and of her citizens who elected their nobles and allowed women to hold power and let homosexual relationships thrive.

John sipped at his tea.

Tomorrow was the tournament and the ball. Tomorrow, he would kiss Lady Martha's hand and dance with her around the hall, neither of them really enjoying themselves and both of them uncomfortable in their heavy, formal clothes.

And still, his mind wandered back to the shipwreck behind the cliffs.

Over the past weeks, John had debated going back to the Adrienne many times. For all he knew, they could be gone. They could’ve set sail, out on the open seas, looking for whatever it was that would solve their island’s mysterious crisis. John never checked.

He probably should have. He probably should have returned that very next day with a bottle of rum and a couple pastries from the kitchen as a peace offering. He probably should’ve apologized. He should’ve put aside any discomfort Mulligan and Lafayette’s relationship gave him. He should’ve tried to make things better between himself and Hamilton.

He didn't know why he hadn't.

“Sir, I’m here to take last-minute fittings for your--” a seamstress said from behind him.

“Thank you,” John cut her off, “but I’m just heading out. If anyone asks, I’m going to the market.”

“But, sir, your father--” the seamstress argued.

“Tell him I was already gone. Thank you, ma’am,” John said with a smile.

He left his tea on the terrace.

○○○  
Angelica Schuyler was sat in her study when her sister blew in.

  
“Where are they?” she demanded, arms crossed over her chest.

  
“I don't know what you mean,” Angelica stated evenly, her quill still scratching at the parchment.

  
“You can't lie to me, Angelica. You know where they went. Why won't you tell me?” Eliza questioned, pulling up the chair next to her sister.

  
“You should know. You're the one with prophecy,” Angelica reminded her. Angelica heard rather than saw the feathers of Eliza’s great, white wings ruffle.

  
“It doesn't work like that. I can't remember what I saw after I see it,” Eliza said quietly, “You know that. You also know where Lafayette, Mulligan, and Alexander are. Now, I know you have a soft spot for Alexander, but this is bigger than him now. They committed treason, Angelica. Treason. And if you know something and you don't say it, you’re in collusion with traitors.”

  
Angelica sighed. “It's more complicated than that, Eliza,” she relented.

  
“So you do know,” Eliza said triumphantly.

  
“Where they are right now? No. How they got off the island? Yes,” Angelica admitted.

  
Eliza sucked in a breath. “So they did it, then? Leave?”

  
“Alexander said that they're going to find whatever it is that's disrupting the island,” Angelica replied, finally putting down her quill.

  
“How do they know what to look for?”

  
“I told them about your latest vision. Well, I told Alexander.”

  
“What vision was that?” Eliza asked.

  
“You said something about a monster away from Tératos and a human of high blood and the Adrienne. I gave him the cliff-notes and told him about Thomas’ cave,” Angelica said, her feline eyes looking over her younger sister.

  
“And that's how they did it?” Eliza inquired, “But, the cave, it came down because of the eathqua--oh.”

  
“Yes,” Angelica confirmed, “I believe they brought down the cave, intentionally or not.”

  
Eliza’s eyes widened. “But then, since the cave--they can't get back in.”

  
“I'm afraid not.”

  
“And Sir Burr?” Eliza asked, “His disappearance? Do you know if it's in any way connected?”

  
“Alexander didn't mention it, but at this point, we must assume,” Angelica trailed off.

  
“Then Theodosia has lost another parent. She'll never see her father again,” Eliza muttered in dejection.

  
“I think that may be the case,” Angelica sighed.

  
“We must tell the king,” Eliza urged, “He has to know. Lafayette is practically his son and heir.”

  
“Tell him what, exactly? That they're all traitors and he'll never see them again?”

  
“If we must.” Eliza's eyes were hard.

  
“Eliza, the morale on the island is already low. This morning, we received word that another six people have died of the sickness across the island in Faren. That, plus three earthquakes in the last four days, and the fishing crises in Dorah and Baelyn? The last thing the people need to hear is that the captains of the Royal Navy and the Royal Guard are traitors and will never return to Teratos,” Angelica replied.

  
“We still must tell the King,” Eliza said, placing a hand on Angelica’s shoulder.

  
Angelica sighed. “Tomorrow,” she said finally, “There’s a meeting of the Council of Advisors. Everyone will be there except Adams, but he’s never there anyway. Lord Franklin and I are supposed to propose the newest measures to combat the sickness, and then we’re deciding whether or not to vote on new captains for the Guard and the Navy. I’ll break the news then.”

  
Eliza nodded. “I’ll collect Theodosia from her neighbors tonight and tell her what happened. I… I assume I’ll take her to the orphanage afterward,” she said quietly, “I can’t believe it’s all gone so wrong.”

  
Angelica couldn’t help but agree.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IF THOUGHT I WASN'T GONNA ADDRESS HERCULES' STRUGGLE, YOU THOUGHT WRONG
> 
> tell me what you think!!


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things Go Well and then Things Go to Shit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is a Rollercoaster, so strap the fuck in

Alexander was picking uselessly at his oatmeal as his other hand scribbled across a piece of parchment.

 

On one side of the paper was a map, outlining the edges of Ándras. His quill had carefully traced the trail to Kilkenny and sketched cliffs and rivers. It was as accurate as Alexander knew to make it.

 

On the other side was the beginning drafts of Alexander’s newest novel, poetic paragraphs waxing about chocolate curls and speckled skin.

 

The siren didn’t give too much thought to whom he was describing.

 

The  _ Adrienne _ was in good repair, or as good repair as she could be in, given the circumstances. Burr had made a bit of a recovery, enough that he was allowed to sit on the deck rather than below it. The weather was good--or as good as it ever got here--supplies had been restocked thanks to a quiet mission into Kilkenny, and in a few hours they would push off the Ándras shore, most likely never to return.

 

Which brought Alexander to the second piece of parchment in front of him. Detailed in swirls of black ink were accounts of everything that had happened since they sailed away from Tératos harbor.

 

Maybe, someday, if by some miracle they ever returned home, they could put it in the King’s Archives--The Complete Chronicles of the  _ Adrienne  _ and Her Crew. The title was a work in progress.

 

“Alexander?” Lafayette asked as he poked his head into Alexander’s quarters. The two had made their peace since that fateful day when Alexander had sent Laurens away.

 

“Yes?” Alexander replied, hardly looking up from his writing.

 

“If you could join me on deck, we seem to be having a bit of a crisis, and could use your particular set of skills,” Lafayette said calmly, but Alexander looked up and recognized the panic in the nereid’s eyes.

 

Alexander had his sword drawn in the next moment and followed Lafayette.

 

“Hercules,” the captain called, “You can release Mr. Laurens, I have le petit oiseau chanteur.”

 

Alexander felt his stomach drop. “Laurens?” he hissed, “Why--what is he doing here?”

 

“We do not know. We thought you could ask him,” Lafayette replied evenly, though Alexander could sense impatience beneath his calm facade. Impatience to set sail, if Alexander's guesses were correct.

 

Alexander sighed and climbed out of the hatch onto the deck.

 

There was Laurens, back against the forecastle, Hercules looming over him and Burr staring at him from his spot atop crate.

 

“Hamilton!” he shouted in relief, “It’s me, Laurens. I just--I came to apologise, but Mr. Mulligan here didn’t seem to believe me--I swear, I only came to make amends, I didn't even know you’d still be here.”

 

“Don’t lie,” Alexander intoned, his eyes narrowing. The words seemed deceptively innocent, but Alexander knew the force he was putting behind them--enough to convince, but not enough to leave Laurens a mindless doll.

 

“I’m not! See, I-I brought rum, and strawberry tarts. I just wanted to say to Mr. Mulligan and Mr. Lafayette that I am truly sorry that I disregarded your relationship, and that I have no ill will to any of you, and I wish for you all to have none for me,” Laurens rambled on, holding out a cloth sack and a bottle.

 

He seemed about to start again when Burr coughed into his hand. “Pardon me,” he said, “But might I ask what is going on here, and who  _ exactly _ this is?”

 

Alexander stared at the scene before him before sighing. “Aaron Burr, sir, this is Mr. John Laurens, son of the lord of this fine island,” he explained, his final words dripping with sarcasm.

 

Burr seemed taken aback--understandable, seeing as he most likely hadn’t seen a human since the war.

 

“Is he…?” the shapeshifter whispered, eye widening as he tried to get the message across without actually  _ actually _ asking.

 

“Yes,” Alexander said, running a hand through his hair. He wished for nothing more than his wings at that moment. He knew, of course, that they were still there, he just couldn’t see or feel them. He could still fly. He just couldn’t fly  _ away _ . Not now. Not when it would expose them all.

 

“ _ What _ ?!” Burr demanded.

 

“That is what we said,” Lafayette said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

 

“I-I thought you said your only crewmates were Mulligan and Lafayette?” John inquired, tilting his head to the right, and Alexander buried the fleeting thought that the look on his face had crossed the line into ‘endearing’.

 

“They are. Burr doesn’t count,” Alexander said.

 

“So you really came to apologise?” Hercules asked, narrowing his eyes at Laurens.

 

“Yes! I-I thought about my words and my actions and came to the conclusion that I was, frankly, a massive prick and I’m very sorry,” Laurens reassured, “Would you like a pastry?”

 

Lafayette shrugged and went to reach for one, but Hercules slapped his hand away. “Why should we trust you?” he asked.

 

Alexander coughed. “He’s telling the truth. Don’t worry,” he said evenly.

 

“Either way, friend or non, it does not matter,” Lafayette cut in. “We are leaving this dreadful place in today.”

 

Laurens made a split second decision. "Take me with you." He didn't seem to have truly thought his words through, but as he spoke them out loud, he didn't seem to regret them. He waited as they sunk in.

 

Hercules was the first to regain his wits. "Absolutely not," he growled.

 

"Absolutely yes," Laurens retorted. "Look, either you take me with you, or I'll tell my father who you are."

 

The crew froze.

 

"You wouldn't dare," Lafayette breathed.

 

"He would," Alexander said darkly.

 

"Alexander, stop him," Hercules ordered.

 

"I don't think I can,” Hamilton admitted, to John's confusion. “If we send him back a fool with no memory of this, his father is bound to notice. The last three weeks, disappearing from his mind? They'd be scanning the island and seas for witches in no time. We'd be caught."

 

“Well, what if he  _ sees _ us?” Hercules hissed.  _ What if he discovers what we are? _ was left unspoken but understood by the both of them. 

 

“Hercules is right,” Lafayette agrees, “We don't know how long we will be out at sea.”

 

Alexander waved his hand dismissively. “That’s simple. He'll be long gone by the time the potion wears off.”

 

Hercules didn't look convinced.

 

“Quick question,” John interrupted, “What the hell are you all talking about? Potions? Seeing you? Erasing my memory? Are-are you people wizards or warlocks or something?”

 

“Or something,” Burr replied, narrowing his eyes. “Alexander, even if we bring him, his father will come after us. The only ‘safe’ option on that front is to send him back, his memories intact.”

 

“And then I just  _ tell _ my dad that you're pirates, attempted kidnappers, and witches,” Laurens concluded.

 

“And here I was thinking you might actually be nice,” Alexander snapped, “Why do you want to leave, anyway? You're the son of a lord. Someday you’re going to rule this island. It's all the power you could ever hope for. Why leave?”

 

“Maybe I don't  _ want _ power. Maybe I want  _ freedom,”  _ Laurens snapped, _ “ _ Look, so far as I can tell, there are three ways this can go. One, you send me back as I am and I tell my father. Two, you do whatever it is that erases my memory, and let me assure you, whatever it is? It won't be easy. I'm  _ quite  _ good with this sword. And three? You let me stay. I'd be a hardworking crew member. I'll mop the deck and empty toilet chambers and cook and clean and  _ anything.  _ Just  _ let me come with you _ .”

 

There was a moment of silence as the other four men exchanged a look.

 

Finally, Lafayette sighed. “Let us settle this the way we do at home, oui?” he said, “All in favour of bringing aboard John Laurens as a new,  _ temporary _ member of our crew, raise a hand.”

 

Alexander, Lafayette, and Burr slowly raised their hands. Hercules huffed.

 

“Fine,” he relented, “But I say we leave now, then.”

 

“Yeah, I suggest we get the hell out of dodge,” Laurens agreed.

 

“You don’t  _ get  _ to suggest  _ anything _ ,” Lafayette snapped. “You lost your talking privileges when you blackmailed us into taking you with us.”

 

“Well!” Alexander interrupted, “If we’re leaving, we’d better hoist the sails, yes? And lift the gangplank and all that? C’mon, Laurens, I’ll show you where everything is. Let’s see what you’re made of.”

○○○

The first few days were somewhat tense aboard the  _ Adrienne _ . Lafayette and Hercules made it clear that they neither liked nor approved of Laurens’ presence onboard, and Burr showed his usual indifference and thinly veiled distrust of the situation. Alexander, on the other hand, only seemed to grow more fond of his newest companion as the days wore on.

 

He’ taken to showing the man around, assisting him in his duties--he even let Laurens stay in his quarters.

 

“What’s all this?” Laurens had asked as he peered over Alexander’s desk, littered with quills, parchment, ink, and half eaten hardtack and fish. “ _ The Complete Chronicles of the  _ Adrienne _ and Her Crew _ ?”

 

Alexander had hopped off his bed as if a fire had been lit beneath him. “Nothing important. A few quick notes of our time out at sea is all. Nothing interesting,” he rushed, picking up the tea stained papers and quickly locking them in his chest.

 

Laurens had given him an odd look, but hadn’t questioned it.

 

A week later, they were on deck with Hercules, watching as the waves rolled under them. A particularly large wave lapped against the hull of the ship, sending salt water spray up into their faces. Hercules spluttered and pulled back, eying the water with disdain as he walked away.

 

“Mulligan doesn’t seem to enjoy water all that much,” Laurens commented, trying to hide the smug smile on his face.

 

Alexander snorted. “He hates it. His whole family does. When he announced he was going to work as Gil’s first mate alongside his job at the tailors’, you’d have thought he’d said he was planning on throwing himself off the mountain,” he explained.

 

“So why did he?” Laurens questioned, “Become Lafayette’s first mate, I mean? Why join the navy if he’s scared of water?”

 

“To put it simply?” Alexander started, “He's in love. He loves Gil as much as I've ever seen one man love another. There's no way Gil could ever part with the sea--it's his home. Hercules knows it, and he knows the only way to be as close to Lafayette as he wants is to come with him. So here he is.”

 

Laurens smiled. “Sounds like a thing  they'd write stories of. Forbidden lovers, separated by forces they can't control, willing to do anything to be with each other.”

 

“When you put it like  _ that  _ it sounds like some tragic romance that ends in death in the name of true love, not like the story of my closest friends who throw salted fish at each other and argue over the best toppings on a sandwich,” Alexander laughed, leaning over the railing.

 

John joined him in laughter, and they shared a grin at the thought of a love like that.

 

After a couple of weeks, the rest of the crew warmed up to Laurens. He won Lafayette over with terrible jokes and a few rough sketches of sea creatures they saw as they sailed. Hercules took longer, but was eventually convinced by John's hard work and perpetually positive disposition.

 

“I'm glad we're getting along now, Mulligan. I was afraid you'd despise me forever,” Laurens said one night as he sat next to Hercules one night, nursing his third pint of rum.

 

“I never  _ despised _ you,” Hercules argued, “I just didn't particularly trust you. And can't blame me. You  _ did _ harass your way onto this ship.” He smiled at the man. “And call me Hercules. No point in formalities when you’re shovelling our shit on a daily basis.”

 

Laurens laughed, taking another drink. “I suppose you’re right,” he agreed. “On both fronts. Although, had you grown up the way I did,  _ you _ wouldn’t blame  _ me _ for my actions.”

 

Hercules didn’t press, simply knocked their tankards together and downed the rest of his drink in a single gulp.

 

Another night, a few days later, and all five of the men were sat on the deck, nursing yet another round of drinks, when John took to his feet. “Raise a glass to freedom,” he began, “Something they can never take away.”

 

Alexander stood up beside him. “No matter what they tell you,” he added, raising his mug.

 

“Hear, hear!” Lafayette agreed, taking a drink.

 

All five of them drained their cups, though Burr with more trepidation than his accomplices.

 

“Let’s have another round,” Hercules said, standing and going over to another crate to look for more gin.

 

“Another round!” Lafayette agreed with a giggle. Unlike his partner, he held his liquor like a colander held water: terribly.

 

“I think I’ll pass,” Burr said, straightening his coat as he stood, the task difficult with his still-bandaged hands, “I’m going to retreat to bed. Take care and caution.”

 

Once he was gone, John laughed and leaned himself against Alexander’s side; Alexander accounted the turning in his stomach to his drunkenness, nothing more. “Burr, he’s not any fun, is he?” John slurred, “He never smiles or laughs or  _ anything _ !”

 

Alexander nodded slowly. “Back home, all he ever did was patrol and stay at home with his daughter,” he said.

 

“Poor Theodosia,” Lafayette said somberly, “She’s already lost her mother, and now she has lost her father as well.”

 

“What do you mean, she’s lost her father?” John asked, “Burr’s alive.”

 

Hercules quickly interrupted before Lafayette could speak. “He just means that she’s all alone while we’re out here,” he explain, “Right Gil?”

 

Lafayette’s eyes grew wide and he nodded enthusiastically. “Oui! Oui, that is what I meant.”

 

Alexander thanked the gods that John was tipsy enough to accept Hercules’ blatant lie. 

 

Yes, everything seemed to be going just fine. Every now and then, they would come across an island and sail around, looking for a dock or a harbour to pull in and let John off; every time they found nothing.

 

This wasn’t the only issue the  _ Adrienne _ ’s crew was having. Their two months were dwindling away, and as every day passed, a sick feeling fell over the bunch.

 

Hercules felt it first, seven weeks since their initial departure, the ill feeling in his stomach like he’d eaten something too hot and now it was burning as it settled. He’d gone back to his and Lafayette’s shared cabin, saying that he simply needed to rest.

 

Lafayette, Alexander, and Burr shared a look as he retreated to his quarters.

 

Alexander was next, two days later, complaining of the same feeling in his gut. He, too, excused himself, but not before pulling John over.

 

“I’m sorry to ask this, my dear Laurens,” he began with a pained smile, his brown eyes meeting John’s green, “but I must request you stay in Mr. Burr’s cabin tonight. Whatever it is I have, I don’t want you to catch it.”

 

John hadn’t thought to argue. “Of course, Alex,” he agreed readily, “I hope you begin to feel better soon.”

 

“What?” Alexander had asked, his brows knitting together.

 

“I said of course, and to get well quickly,” John replied, just as confused as Alexander seemed to be.

 

“No,” Alexander said slowly, “You called me Alex.”

 

“I did? I hadn’t noticed. I’ll be sure not to, in the future.”

 

“No, no,” Alexander had rushed to say, “It’s fine, really. I just… no one’s ever really called me anything other than Alexander or Hamilton. It’s different, but I like it.”

 

John had smiled at his friend. “Well then, Alex,” he’d said, “I hope you recover quickly.”

 

Alexander had grinned before climbing below deck to their cabin.

 

Lafayette disappeared four days later, apologising profusely as he asked them not to enter the steerage room.

 

And so, John was left alone to tend to the upkeep of the  _ Adrienne _ . He already knew the ship well, but over the next few days he learned every secret he could about the boat that had become his home.

 

He also learned of her most reclusive passenger.

 

Aaron Burr was a man of few words. John knew this, of course, but he didn’t know quite the extent of it.

 

It wasn’t as if the man never spoke — on the contrary, he seemed perfectly content to carry a conversation. No, it was that he never  _ said _ anything. Once, John realised they’d been talking for forty-five minutes and John knew nothing more about him than when they’d started.

 

“Alexander mentioned you have a daughter,” John said finally as the two of them mopped the main deck.

 

Burr smiled. “Theodosia,” he said. Then his smile fell. “She’s my pride and joy.”

 

“You miss her,” John said. It wasn’t a question.

 

“Of course,” Burr agreed.

 

“I’m sure she misses you, too. Is she staying with her mother?” John asked, plunging his mop back in the bucket of soapy water.

 

“Her mother is dead.”

 

“Oh,” John muttered, “That’s… I’m sorry. I had no idea.”   
  


“That’s because I never told you. You have nothing to be sorry for,” Burr said, and that was the end of that. 

 

Two days after Lafayette’s retreat, none of the other crew members at emerged from their self imposed quarantine, and John was getting nervous.

 

“What if they’re really sick?” he asked Burr as the two of them shared a dinner of hardtack and salted fish.

 

“They’ll be fine, Laurens,” Burr reassured, but it wasn’t very encouraging.

 

“I can check on them,” John offered, “You already bring them their meals. I know basic medicine, I spent a lot of time with my father’s physician, if they’re really ill, I can help.”

 

“No!” Burr ordered. “No, I can’t let you.”

 

“Why not?” John asked, suddenly a bit agitated, “You don’t have any power over me.”

 

“You just  _ can’t _ , Laurens.”

 

“I can, and I will. I care about them, Burr, more than  _ you _ seem to,” John argued stubbornly, eating the rest of his fish and licking the salt from his fingers. “They could be  _ dying _ , and we’d never know. Hell, the only reason we know Gil is alive is because the ship hasn’t gone careening into any rocks yet!”

 

“Laurens! No!” Burr shouted as John huffed and made his way to the hatch that led into the cabin he and Alexander had shared until Alexander had fallen ill.

 

“Fuck off, Burr,” John snapped, opening the door and climbing down the ladder. He reached the bottom and dusted off his hands as he turned around, saying, “Alex! I know you said not to come down here, but-- _ dear God _ .”

 

He cut himself off with a startled gasp.

 

Alexander--because it was still  _ obviously _ Alexander--took a step forward. “John!” he shouted, “What--why--how--you can’t be  _ down here _ , not now, oh gods!”

 

He had  _ feathers _ . Long, golden-green feathers, threaded through his hair and covering his neck and spread out over his bones like  _ wings _ . His eyes were wide like a hawk’s, and violet as wildflowers.

 

“What the  _ fuck _ ?!” John cried succinctly, “What the--what  _ are you _ ?”

 

Alexander took another step forward, and John stumbled back into the ladder.

 

“No,” he said, holding his hands out in front of him, “Don’t-don’t come any closer!”

 

“John, please, calm down,” Alexander pleaded, and were John's eyes playing tricks on him, or were those inhuman purple eyes starting to  _ glow _ ?

 

Despite all this, John could feel himself relaxing.

 

“What's going on, Alexander?” he demanded, back still pressed against the ladder. “What’s wrong with you?”

 

“Nothing is  _ wrong  _ with me,” Alexander explained, rolling those bright lavender eyes.

 

“I would beg to differ,” John sputtered, “I don't know if you've checked a mirror lately, but you have  _ feathers _ . And  _ glowing purple eyes _ .”

 

“I’m aware.”

 

“Then how can you say ‘nothing is wrong’?  _ Clearly _ , something is wrong,” John argued.

 

“I’m afraid not,” Alexander, for once glancing away from John’s eyes.

 

“What do you  _ mean _ , ‘you’re afraid not’? Is this some sort of usual occurrence with you? You randomly sprout feathers?”

 

“If by usual, you mean every day of my life up until about two months ago, then yes,” Alexander explained slowly.

 

John wished he had something in his hands just so he could drop it.

 

“You-you--this is what you  _ always _ look like?” he squawked, “You--what  _ are _ you?”

 

“A monster,” Alexander said, looking back up to meet John’s eyes, “A siren, actually, if we’re going into technicalities.”

 

“A… a  _ monster _ .”

 

“Yes.”

 

“You’re a  _ monster _ ?!”

 

“Yes?”

 

“I’m on a boat with a  _ monster _ ?” John screeched, seemingly to restart his panic.

 

So, naturally, Alexander said, “Four monsters, actually.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> w h o o p s
> 
> please tell me your Thoughts!


	6. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John Suffers, Alexander Fucks Up, and Burr is a bit Creepy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are now Writing Live my friends! Any delays in posting are due to life kicking my ass repeatedly, so please be kind!!

“ _ What _ ?!” John screamed, “ _ Four _ ?! That would--that would mean… All of you… You’re all… God help me.”

 

“I don’t know which god you’re praying to, but I assure you, none of them are of any use in this situation,” Alexander said.

 

“I'm going to die. You're-you’re going to eat me. This was all a trap! I'm going to be eaten!” John cried, bordering on hysterical.

 

“In case you've forgotten,  _ you're  _ the one who blackmailed yourself aboard  _ our _ ship,” Alexander reminded him.

 

“I'm going to die!”

 

“Zeus almighty,  _ calm down _ ,” Alexander ordered, “We're not going to kill you or eat you or anything.”

 

John felt his panic dissipating. “What-what are you doing to me?” he asked, eyebrows furrowed as he felt his heart ceasing to pound relentlessly against his ribs.

 

“Helping. You're never going to listen if you're afraid for your life,” Alexander said easily. “You ready to listen now, Laurens?”

 

John, against his better judgment, found he was.

 

“Go on,” he said.

 

“First of all, and this is critical, we're  _ not _ going to hurt you, in any way,” Alexander began. “Now that we've gotten  _ that  _ out of the way. The four of us, Hercules, Gil, Burr, and I, we're from an island called Tératos. I hadn't been lying when I described our home to you. I simply lied about the name.”

 

“And the fact that you're not human,” John retorted, traces of bitterness in his voice.

 

“Yes, that too,”Alexander scoffed. “Can you drop that for just a minute? I can't explain if you keep interrupting me all the time. As I was saying, we're from an island called Tératos. About 850 years ago, our king had us retreat to Teratos in order to seek refuge from the war--the one with humans, of course. I was just a baby at the time, I don’t really remember it, but Hercules and Gil do, so--”

 

“You were  _ alive _ ?” John couldn't keep the incredulity from his voice, “ _ Eight-hundred and fifty years ago _ ?”

 

“Yes,” Alexander replied simply.

 

“Lord almighty,  _ how old are you _ ?” John asked, squinting at the man--did Alexander still count as a man?--in front of him. He didn’t look like he could be any older than twenty-five at the most.

 

“I suppose I’m 851,” Alexander replied with a shrug, “We don’t really keep track.”

 

“I’m on a ship with a bunch of 850-year-old monsters,” John muttered.

 

“You’re saying it without screaming. That’s progress,” Alexander said with a smirk, as if this whole situation was amusing to him, more than anything. “If it makes you feel any better, we’re not  _ immortal _ or anything. The magic used to hide Tèratos simply slowed the aging process. Or, at least, that’s Angelica’s current theory.”

 

“So you’re not magical, you just live on a magic invisible island,” John deadpanned. “Because that’s  _ so  _ much better.”

 

“I mean, we  _ are _ magic, so I’d say yes,” Alexander said, his grin growing wider.

 

John had gone through such emotional whiplash in the past few minutes that he didn’t even know how he felt at this point, so instead he such simply asked tiredly, “What?”

 

“We  _ are  _ magic. Or, at least, you’d perceive it as magic. I’m sure there’s a way to explain it in the terms of natural philosophy,” Alexander supplied, “Actually, we  _ really _ should get someone to study that. I, of course, haven’t the time, but I know Peggy has shown a bit of an affinity for natural philosophy, so if we ever  _ do  _ return, I’ll be sure to--”

 

“Alexander,” John interrupted, “May we please stay on this subject? The one where you have some sort of magical ability? I’m assuming it’s tied to whatever you did to settle my emotions.”

 

“You’d be assuming correctly. I’m a siren. We’re rather good at, well,  _ persuasion _ . I can be quite convincing if I want to be,” Alexander replied, looking somewhat smug.

 

Meanwhile, John felt his heart falling through the hull of the ship sinking to the bottom of the ocean. Had everything he’d thought, everything he’d  _ felt, _ since meeting Alexander been nothing but some enchantment? Did he only care for the members of the  _ Adrienne _ ’s crew because Alexander had  _ made  _ him care?

 

“Not that I’ve been manipulating you this whole time!” Alexander suddenly interjected. “Gods, no! I swear, John, the only time I’ve used my abilities on you since you boarded the ship has been in this conversation, and only to calm you down. You must believe me.”

 

Oddly enough, John found himself trusting Alexander even as he spoke those very words. He said as much, and the look on Alexander’s face quickly morphed to one of horror.

 

“Shit shit  _ shit _ , damn it,  _ no _ . Stupid humans and your inability to hold up against the  _ slightest _ bit of fucking  _ unintentional  _ persuasion, I swear to the gods, it will be the  _ death  _ of me,” Alexander babbled, cupping John’s face in his hands.

 

His nails seemed longer and stiffer against his skin than fingernails typically were. John couldn’t help but find that a bit odd, even as the world around him seemed to be momentarily swimming in fog.

 

As quickly as the bout of blurriness had begun, it ended.

 

“John?” Alexander asked, still holding his face in his hands, those brilliant lilac eyes peering at him-- _ through _ him.

 

“Huh?” John asked after a moment, “Yes?”

 

“Shit, I’m so sorry, I’m just not used to your sensitivity to it, I promise you, it was an accident,” Alexander rambled.

 

“It’s alright, Alex,” John said easily. He didn’t really see the issue. He trusted Alexander.

 

“No, it’s  _ not _ , fuck,” Alexander insisted, quickly snatching his hands away from John’s face. “It’s an invasion of your privacy, and I should really know better. I should know how to control this,” he stared down at his hands as if they were the root of the problem.

 

“Don’t worry,” John said with a smile, “You’ll learn how to do whatever it is you want to do. I have faith in you.”

 

“That is the  _ whole damn problem _ !” Alexander burst out.

 

“Alex, maybe you should take some deep breaths. Try to calm down a little,” John suggested. Alexander just laughed hysterically.

 

“Shouldn’t you be panicking?”

 

“You just made sure I wouldn’t,” John reminded him hesitantly, wondering briefly whether Alexander really was okay. Maybe Gil was needed. Or Hercules.

 

Come to think of them, what  _ were _ his remaining three crew mates? Burr looked normal, but then again, so had Alexander, Hercules, and Lafayette for a long time. Maybe he was still under whatever it was the three took to change appearance? Because there was no other explanation, in John’s mind, for why the three had looked normal one day and literally spouted feathers the next.

 

Unless he was simply something that  _ looked _ human, and therefore wouldn’t  _ need _ whatever it was that changed the other three men’s appearances.

 

The whole thing left John’s head spinning.

 

Meanwhile, Alexander seemed to still be in the throes of whatever sort of panic he’d been thrown into, pacing back and forth and digging his nails-- _ talons _ , John’s mind supplied helpfully--into his forearm to the point that John could see the pricks of red on Alexander’s tan skin.

 

Despite all their differences, it seemed monsters bled red as well.

 

Or, at least, this one did.

 

“Alexander, please, do I need to go find Hercules? Or Gil? Hell, do I need to go get  _ Burr _ ?” John asked, taking a slow step in Alexander’s direction. He still didn’t know what Hamilton was entirely capable of.

 

All the while, whatever Alexander had done to keep him from panicking thus far seemed to be wearing off as fear crept through his veins like ice.

 

He trusted Alexander, yes, but he didn’t think  _ Alexander _ trusted Alexander, which could prove to be dangerous.

 

He was on a boat full of  _ monsters _ . It was bound to be dangerous in some way.

 

“You should go,” Alexander said softly, almost as if he was afraid of the words.

 

“Alex--”

 

“Please, John,” Alexander pleaded. John didn’t notice any blurriness or dizziness or odd wave of euphoria or anything else he’d quickly come to realize meant Alexander was doing his ‘persuasion’ thing.

 

Alexander wasn’t manipulating John in that moment. He simply trusted John to do what  _ he _ thought was best.

 

Now that John knew what Alex was capable of, this simple act of  _ not doing it _ seemed worth more than John could fully understand.

 

“I’ll be back later,” John said before climbing out of the cabin.

○○○

The high of whatever the hell it was Alexander did to John wore off in about an hour, leaving him confused, scared, and angry.

 

_ Monsters.  _

 

The elders on Àndras had always told old tales of King George’s War against the violent, man-eating beasts that lurked in the dark corners of the world. Stories of beings with long claws and scales and fur and fangs. Legends of creatures that could spit flames or control water or could be struck by a hundred swords and not bleed.

 

Things that could control your mind and manipulate your emotions.

 

John had, of course, always written it off as nonsense. King George went to war with the southern barbarians that were pillaging villages and murdering innocents. He’d defended the northern isles from invaders, united them under one banner. He didn’t get his gold from a dragon’s hoard, he didn’t line his cloaks with angel’s feathers, and he didn’t have a minotaur head mounted above his mantle.

 

_ He didn’t fight monsters because monsters weren’t real _ .

 

Except. Alexander had stood in front of him with violet eyes and golden feathers. Alexander had calmed him with a single word. Alexander had talons that felt cold and heavy against John’s skin.

 

Monsters were real, and John was trapped with a hundred feet of one at all times.

 

Even as most of his brain screamed in terror at the thought of every ogre and ghoul that he’d been told hid under his bed actually  _ existing _ , another, much smaller part, pointed out exactly how…  _ normal _ the  _ Adrienne _ ’s crew was. Nothing about them had tipped him off before hand. None of them kept severed heads or ate pickled toes or talked to barnacles. The only obviously out of place things were Gil’s affinity for salt water tea--honestly, what the hell--and Hercules’ abilities to see perfectly in the dark and somehow  _ always _ know what you had just said, even if you’d whispered so quietly  _ you _ could barely hear it. John had chalked up the first to be some odd French thing, and the second to Hercules simply being some sort of stealth master.

 

They didn’t seem  _ monstrous _ , they seemed like  _ people _ .

 

The whole thing left an odd taste in John’s mouth.

 

Were they his friends or were they the terrifying enemies he’d heard of in the nursemaid’s tales? The idea of still seemed incredibly separate. There was no way Gil, who sang French love songs as he sailed the ship, was a bloodthirsty beast full of cruelty and ill-intent. Hercules, who laughed boisterously and told the  _ worst  _ jokes, couldn’t be evil.

 

Alex, who’d stuck up for him and reassured him and worked with him and welcomed him into his cabin and shown him the ins and outs of his new home, couldn’t  _ possibly _ be the creature from the stories who lured men to the rocks and left them to die.

 

Every black and white standard he’d held seemed to be melting like candle wax, dripping down into a single puddle of gray.

 

A puddle that was slowly becoming an ocean and John was sinking in it.

 

“You saw, didn’t you.”

 

The way Burr phrased it didn’t leave any room for inquiry.

 

John simply scoffed.

 

“I told you not to go down there, Laurens. I warned you,” Burr said calmly, and for a split second, that bothered John more than anything else.

 

“Maybe you should’ve warned me about what the hell you  _ things _ are,” he snarled, turning and facing Burr toe-to-toe.

 

Burr didn’t seem intimidated. “We didn’t ask you to join us,” he said icily, “In fact, we wanted you  _ gone _ , so I don’t think it was my place to ‘warn you’ of anything.”

“What are you, anyway? You look human enough,” John sneered.

 

“I can look like whatever I want, John Laurens,” Burr replied, grinning a smile that was all teeth.

 

“Enough with the vague bullshit,” John snapped, “ _ Tell me _ .”

 

Burr seemed to dissolve before John’s very eyes. He seemed to crumble in on himself before reforming.

 

Except, he wasn’t Burr.

 

John stumbled back, eyes wide as he gazed at the reflection in front of him.

 

“Fucking hell,” he muttered.

 

The only difference between him and the figure in front of him was that John had his hair tied back.

 

“I believe this will suffice, yes?” the thing--John, Burr,  _ something _ \--said in John’s voice before falling and rebuilding back into Burr.

 

Or, what John had always  _ assumed _ to be Burr.

 

Now, he wasn’t so sure.

 

“I-- _ God _ ,” John said. He needed to leave, to get away, to run, but there was nowhere to go.

 

He was trapped.

 

The thought had his stomach rolling, and before he could fully comprehend what was going on, the vomit was already splattered across the hardwood of the deck.

 

The sick stank like alcohol and old tack and fish, and it was enough to have John doubled over again, though this time he managed to get to the side of the ship first.

 

Trapped.

Helpless.

Sick.

 

John had nowhere else to turn.

 

His footing gave out, and he tumbled over the railing and into the sea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me what you think!


	7. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John gets rescued, gets sick, and gets the Run Down on Teratos

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow look at this. Such a Long Chapter. Posted So Late. It's almost like I've been writing non stop all day :/
> 
> Thanks to Ring for providing John's feverous, delirious ramblings.

It was Burr shouting that grabbed Alexander’s attention. He’d disregarded the splash completely--they  _ were _ at sea, of course. Splashes happened all the time.

 

But Aaron Burr, shouting for help and then followed by  _ two more _ splashes? That wasn’t exactly common.

 

“What’s going on?” Alexander asked as he crawled out of the hutch that led to his quarters, “What happened? What’s wrong? Someone tell me!”

 

“It’s John!” Hercules shouted, peering over the edge of the ship in all his feline glory, “He fell overboard!”

 

“What?!” Alexander cried.

 

“I didn’t see--he’s in the water--Gil and Burr--” Hercules shouted.

 

A voice from the water called, “Get a rope!”

 

Alexander rushed to do as ordered, snatching a rope and quickly tying it down before running over to throw it down.

 

Lafayette and Burr were both in the water, holding an unconscious John. Lafayette seemed to be controlling the water around them, making it hold John upright as Burr, who apparently now had a tail, knotted the other end of the rope around John’s waist.

 

“Pull him up!” Lafayette commanded, pushing John up as best he could.

 

Hercules quickly grabbed the rope and began tugging John back up. Alexander rushed to help, but Hercules seemed to be making quick work of it on his own.

 

“Is he—” Alexander asked haltingly, not quite sure what he was asking.

“He's alive,” Hercules reassured, hoisting John over the edge of the boat before quickly untying him and tossing the rope back down. “C’mon, Gil!”

 

“Hercules, mon chaton,  _ I cannot drown _ . Calm down,” Lafayette shouted, and a moment later he was climbing over the railing and pushing the limp seaweed from his face.

 

Burr flew up a shortly afterwards, turning from a crow back to a man. He quickly joined Alexander at John's side.

 

“You're sure he's alive?” Alexander asked, placing his hand over John's heart. The man's doublet and shirt blocked any heartbeat Alexander might've felt.

 

At least, that's what the siren told himself. Because John had a heartbeat. He  _ had to _ .

 

Alexander practically torn John's shirt off of him before going back to his heart.

 

It was subtle, but it was there.

 

Alexander thanked every god he'd ever heard of. “He's alive!” he cried.

 

“We know, Alexander,” Lafayette said, smoothing down the kelp that made up his “hair”.

 

Alexander ignored the sarcasm and turned back to John. “I'll take him back to our cabin. Hercules, make some tea. Please. If someone could get a few more blankets, and--”

 

“Alexander. Your lover will be  _ fine _ ,” Burr said.

 

Alexander choked on thin air. “He-he is  _ not _ my  _ lover _ ,” he sputtered.

 

Hercules, Lafayette, and Burr all shared a look. “If you insist,” Lafayette said finally. Hercules rolled his eyes.

 

“You--we’re not--there is  _ nothing _ but friendship and camaraderie between John Laurens and myself,” Alexander snapped, “Now, I’m taking him to bed. Don’t feel inclined to follow.” Hercules and Lafayette’s matching snorts of laughter left Alexander stammering. “Not like  _ that _ , gods! Perverse bastards,” he argued.

 

He intended for this to be his grand exit, where he heroically carried John away from the snickers and mocking jabs of their crewmates, but alas, his plan had a flaw: Alexander could hardly lift a crate of tack, nevermind a fully grown man.

 

“Need some help, Hamilton?” Hercules teased as Alexander struggled to lift John.

 

Alexander scowled. “Possibly.”

 

Hercules chuckled and scooped John up in one arm.

 

“Damn lion,” Alexander grumbled, “There’s no need to show off.”

 

Hercules just grinned at him and climbed down the ladder. “What do you suppose our dear Mr. Laurens will think when he wakes up and finds himself half-naked and lying on your bed, Alexander,” he said once he’d safely tucked John in.

 

“I assume he’ll believe that we did what any  _ good friends _ would do. That we got him out of his wet clothes as best we could whilst still preserving his decency, and we got him into bed where he could warm up,” Alexander replied with a huff.

 

Hercules snorted. “Oh yes. Because you two are just the  _ pillars _ of platonic friendship. Just like me and Gil.”

 

“Shut up, would you?” Alexander finally snapped. “I-I’m not  _ attracted _ to John! And even if I was, he’s not interested in men, so it would hardly matter.”

 

And yet, even as he said it, Alexander’s eyes shifted to find John, to find him wrapped up in thick woolen blankets, his curly brown hair splayed out on Alexander’s pillow, and Alexander found himself  _ wishing _ .

 

He was wishing John _ was _ interested, even in the slightest.

 

“You may not be giving our new  _ friend _ the credit he deserves, Alexander,” Hercules said softly, all teasing suddenly gone from his voice.

 

“You’re the one distrusted him the most, Hercules,” Alexander argued.

 

“I’ve changed my opinion about John Laurens. Perhaps you should, too.”

 

And with that, Hercules stalked over to the ladder and left the cabin. Alexander fell down in his chair and held his head in his hands.

○○○

John woke up feeling more comfortable than he’d been in a while. Life aboard the  _ Adrienne _ was fine, of course--better than fine, actually--but it wasn’t exactly warm and cozy. Even his own bed wasn't much more than a palette on the floor.

 

So to be laying on what felt like a hammock bed, covered in blankets, with a soft pillow beneath his head? John was almost sure he'd drowned and this was heaven.

 

His lashes felt so glued together that it was a struggle to open his eyes, but when he did, he was hardly disappointed. There was Alexander, asleep in his chair, face stained with ink. Even with feather covering his arms and neck, even though John knew that if he were to open his eyes they'd be a shocking shade of lavender, John couldn't stop the wave of familiarity that washed over him.

 

This was his Alexander. Ink splattered and falling asleep at his desk after hours of relentlessly scrawling whatever it was he was writing so quickly.

 

Not that Alexander was  _ his _ , of course.

 

For a moment John was content to just lay there, snug and comfortable. For a moment.

 

Then the boat lurched and John yelped as he was tossed to the side. This, of course, awoke Alexander, who banged his head against a beam supporting the ceiling.

 

“Shit,” he grumbled sleepily, before his eyes snapped, as if automatically, to John. “John! You're awake! How are you feeling? What happened? I don't know much, and what I do know, I know because of Gil and Hercules and Burr, who were the ones to find you in the—”

 

John hissed as Alexander's relentless cascade of words instigated a headache. He rubbed his temples. “Alexander…” he trailed off.

 

Alexander seemed to realize the effect his words had on John. He shut his mouth with a snap, giving John the remains of a sheepish smile. “Sorry,” he whispered.

 

John waved him off. “S’okay, just… slower. And quieter. Please,” he muttered. Alexander nodded vigorously.

 

“After you fell overboard, Gil and Burr jumped in after you. I didn’t really see it,” he admitted, “but by the time I got up there they were both in the water. Hercules pulled you up and carried you in here. I’ve been, uh, looking out for you.”

 

John blinked. “Thank you,” he said slowly.

 

“Thank the others. They did all the work,” Alexander said casually.

 

“This is your hammock, yes?” John asked. Everything looked kind of fuzzy, like he was seeing it through a shear blanket or a dirty window.

 

“Yes.”

 

“Then thank you for the hammock. And the blankets,” John said with a loose grin and a laugh. He felt hot all over, and the room was still lazily swimming around him.

 

“How are you feeling, Laurens?” Alexander asked, taking to his feet.

 

John shrugged as best he could. “Alright, I suppose. Warm. Everything is a bit blurry.”

 

Alexander furrowed his brows. “Are you sure you're okay? You aren't feeling dizzy?”

 

“I suppose that I  _ am _ a bit dizzy,” John confessed, “But not enough for it to be of any concern.”

 

“You should get out of all those blankets,” Alexander suggested. “You could have a fever, you need to cool down,” the siren went on, pulling one of the blankets off John.

 

“But I’d be  _ cold _ ,” John said, distantly understanding that he was whining like a petulant toddler.

 

“You  _ need _ to be cold if you have a fever, John,” Alexander explained calmly. He placed a hand on John’s forehead, and John couldn’t help but lean into the touch. “You’re warm, but I don’t know how warm humans are supposed to be naturally.”

 

“But warm is  _ good _ , Alex,” John argued, “I was in the  _ water _ . It was  _ cold _ . I need to get warm.”

 

“You  _ are  _ warm,” Alexander pointed out, “That’s that issue here, dear Laurens.”

 

John giggled, and the concerned look on Alexander’s face only grew.

 

“I wonder if Burr knows how hot humans are supposed to be,” he wondered aloud, “He does usually go around looking like one.”

 

“It’s a bit unsettling,” John chimed in, “He turned into me. S’what made me sick the first time.”

 

“What?” Alexander demanded, spinning back to face John.

 

“It was like I was looking in a mirror. You should've seen it, Alex. There were two of me!” John enthused, struggling to sit up.

 

Alexander pushed him back down and removed the blankets himself. “You're sick, John. You need to lie down.”

 

“I’m not  _ sick _ , Alex! Just… spinny…”

 

“Tell me, do all humans become idiots when they have a fever, or is it just you?” Alexander teased.

 

“That… you’re  _ mean _ ,” John pouted.

 

“And you’re so sick you used the word  _ spinny _ .” Alexander crossed his arms. “Stay there, I’ll go get you something cold to drink. Don’t hurt yourself while I’m gone.” John smiled in response, content to just burrow into the few blankets he’d been left with as Alexander climbed up the ladder, leaving John alone.

 

Again.

 

He stared up at the ceiling, frowning when he saw a slight crack between the two boards just to the right of the edge where the wall met the roofing. What  _ was _ it? Would it leak through there? John made a note to tell Lafayette about it when he got out of the hammock. Whenever that was. What was he doing in the hammock again? And whose was it? It couldn’t be his own, because his was actually just a few blankets on the floor. Well, then, John decided, it must be Alexander’s. He didn’t know how or why his brain made the connection, but, when he thought about it, it made a lot of sense. Whose hammock but Alexander’s could it even be? It certainly wasn’t Burr’s. Then again, did Burr even  _ need _ a hammock? He could shapeshift into anything, say a bird, and simply use the ship as a perch. He wouldn't even be that cold, for all that even his name sounded like he was shivering.

 

John grinned. Heh. Burr. Shiver. He snickered at his own joke. Alexander would appreciate it. John resolved to tell it to him when he returned. The frown returned to his face as he struggled to remember where Alexander had gone off, exactly. He said something about getting John something or other, but John found that he couldn’t recall much except those feathers of his, interweaved into his hair. They were distracting, to say the least. Distracting John from thinking. Then again, wasn’t John trying to think about  _ Alexander _ ? Did thinking about his feathers really count as a distraction, in that case? Especially if those feathers really were gorgeous, framing his face in a way that John couldn’t pretend was unappealing? Since when did John find anything about Alexander  _ gorgeous _ ? Alexander was a man, and John was a man, and that was all well and good for Hercules and Gil, but  _ not _ for John. It simply didn't add up in John's head. Also, why Alexander’s  _ feathers _ , of all things? Why not his eyes? Weren’t they nice too? Didn’t they deserve a special place in John’s thoughts? They shouldn’t, though. Not according to his father. Then again, Henry Laurens wasn’t here. On the other hand, everything else his father had taught him had proved true to date, so why should  _ that _ be different? John would probably be able to answer that question better if he remembered what ‘that’ was, exactly.

 

John frowned. Where was he going with this?

 

“John?” Alexander asked as he re-entered the cabin, “I’ve got you some grog--it tastes like hell itself vomited out its most foul prisoners, but it’s cool--and a bit of tack, if you feel up to it.”

 

“Alex?” John asked after taking a slow sip of his drink, “Why are monsters a secret? Why can’t humans know about you?”

 

Alexander seemed a bit shocked. In fact, he was so surprised he tripped over his own feet and crashed into his desk. “What?” he questioned.

 

“Why can’t humans know about monsters? Why do you live all alone?” John repeated, taking another drink and gagging on the taste.

 

Alexander sighed. “It’s a bit of a messy story. I really ought not tell you until you’re entirely coherent,” he deflected.

 

“I’m  _ fine _ ,” John insisted, “and I want to  _ know _ .”

 

Alexander sat himself down in his chair. “Alright,” he conceded, “But you had better do your best to listen because I don’t want to have to go over all of this again when you’re lucid, understand?”

 

John simply nodded.

 

“You know of the war, yes?” Alexander started.

 

“King George’s war?” John asked.

 

“If that’s what you call it, yes. We simply call it The War,” Alexander explained. “Well, realistically, it was less of a war and more a  _ massacre _ . They… they came in, and they  _ slaughtered us _ , just because we were different. We weren’t  _ hurting  _ anyone. We were just  _ different _ , and that was enough to warrant our execution.”

 

He took a deep breath, his shoulders starting to shake, just slightly.

 

“Washington, he was the leader of a group of phoenix in the South, he decided that we all had to band together, try to defend ourselves. According to Hercules, we were doing reasonably well. I don’t really know, I was hardly an infant at the time, but from what I’ve heard, people thought we might actually be able to do it for a while. And then…”

 

Alexander trailed off and ran his fingers through his hair.

 

“Gil should probably tell you about it, really,” he continued.

 

“Gil isn’t  _ here _ , Alex. You are,” John countered.

 

Alexander sighed. “You don’t understand,” he argued, “It’s…”

 

“What happened?” John asked.

 

“Gil’s father was the head of a clan of nereids that lived off the southern coast of France--”

 

“What’s a nereid?” John asked.

 

“A water nymph.”

 

“So Gil’s a mermaid?  _ Is that why you call him Gil _ ?” John asked, already giggling at the idea.

 

“ _ No _ , he is  _ not _ a mermaid, and you’d be better off if you made sure he never heard tell of you accusing him of being such,” Alexander replied, “As I was  _ saying _ , Gil’s father sent him to stay with Washington as a sort of apprentice, so Gil wasn’t there when it happened, but… King George led a raid on the nereids. Killed them all. Every last one.”

 

By now, John was noticing silver tears tracing silent paths across Alexander’s cheeks.

 

“The King was going to continue south, into the sea. He was headed for Siren’s Reach, or at least that was the rumour.”

 

“Siren’s Reach… but that’d be--”

 

“That was my home. We, my people, we fled. Most went north, didn’t want any part of the war, but my mother, she took me and she headed for Washington’s camp. She got sick. We don’t know what it was, but she-she died. I was put in the Mulligans’ care. Washington decided that enough was enough. Everyone was tired of fighting, tired of  _ dying _ , so we left. Left the mainland, left our homes, and moved to Tératos.”

 

“And you’ve been there ever since?” John asked.

 

“Yes,” Alexander replied, “Or, we were. We… we can’t go back. Not now.”

 

“Why not?” John asked, “Is it because of me? Because I’m a-a human?”

 

“No,” Alexander said, “No. The island is warded, see? And when we left, the wards collapsed around us. Only way for anyone to get in or out, now, would be for them to take down the wards entirely. So we’re stuck.”

 

“Just like me,” John said quietly. He didn’t feel as giggly anymore.

 

“I suppose,” Alexander whispered, staring at his hands.

 

For a moment, the cabin was silent. The only noises were the sounds of the ocean waves lapping against the  _ Adrienne _ ’s hull, and the creaking of wood as they slowly rocked back and forth.

 

Finally, John looked back at Alexander. “I think we were the real monsters all along,” he murmured.

○○○

Henry Laurens’ son had been missing for a month. A month since he’d told the tailor that he was going  _ out _ , and had disappeared. They’d searched the whole of Ándras, top to bottom, coast to coast, and still there was no sign of John. Every day that passed was another day further from the possibility that John would ever return, would ever be found.

 

Everyday, Lord Laurens grew sicker of sitting around and  _ waiting _ .

 

The only lead they had on John’s abrupt disappearance was the word of a few workers at the lumber mill, who said John had come in a few weeks before he vanished with a man none of them had ever seen and bought the man wood for a mast.

 

The man was never seen again, and a few weeks later, John went missing.

 

The portmaster knew nothing of the man or the ship that needed a new mast, but the mill workers swore on it, saying that John had even borrowed they’re cart to transport the lumber because the mysterious man insisted on no one else seeing his ship.

 

And so, Lord Laurens had his suspect.

 

He’d heard rumours of southern pirates pillaging the other Northern Isles, of ungodly men who snatched women and gold and slit the throats of any man they came across. He wouldn’t put it past such heathens to “befriend” John, only to steal him away.

 

John was always too kind, too trusting, too  _ good _ .

 

“Captain Lee, have your men hoist the sails and raise achor,” Lord Laurens ordered, straightening his coat as he stood on the bow of the largest ship in his fleet. “We leave at dusk.”

 

Henry Laurens was going to bring John home, and no southern barbarians were going to stand in his way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CAN YOU SAY EXPOSITION AND SADNESS???
> 
> tell me what you Think!!


	8. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ~~drama~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this took so long. i broke my finger and couldn't write properly for a few days.
> 
> it Sucked.

“How is your darling Laurens, mon oiseau?” Lafayette asked when Alexander emerged from his quarters.

 

“He's not  _ mine _ , Gil. And he has a fever,” Alexander replied as he crossed his arms, “At least, I assume he does. I don't know the average human body temperature.”

 

“You? Not knowing something? The tragedy!” Lafayette mocked. Alexander glared. Lafayette straightened himself with a cough.

 

“My  _ point _ is, there’s no use in hiding from him, now. He’s seen me. He knows,” Alexander explained.

 

Hercules, Lafayette, and Burr each had different versions of fear and sorrow on their faces.

 

“We cannot drop him anywhere, now,” Lafayette said. “He  _ knows _ -he could tell others. The best we can do now is keep him with us.”

 

“That seems to be becoming a habit,” Hercules muttered, “First Burr--no offense, Burr,” he said aside to Burr, who just glared, “and now John? Are we just going to keep picking up stragglers? What’s next--a dragon?”

 

“No, no,” Alexander said, “Even if we wanted to, we've already found ourselves facing quite a dilemma.”

 

“What's  _ that _ supposed to mean?” Hercules asked.

 

“We brought provisions for three men, not five,” Alexander said simply, waiting until the others drew their own conclusions.

 

“We're going to run out of food,” Lafayette muttered, whispering a curse that Alexander couldn’t pick up.

 

“And we can't exactly stop at a port to restock,” Hercules added.

 

“Actually,” Burr interrupted, “We can. John and I look as human as they come. We could buy supplies.”

 

“Ah, Burr, you're brilliant!” Alexander shouted happily, “I knew there was a reason we keep you around!”

 

“You keep me around because you  _ kidnapped me _ ,” Burr snapped.

 

Alexander chuckled awkwardly and glanced at his other two crewmates, who were avoiding his eyes.

 

“Yes, about the whole  _ kidnapping _ thing,” Alexander said, “It was nothing personal, I swear. We simply couldn't have you reporting to Washington, and we knew you would, had we left you. If… if I'd known about the wards, I would've left you. I would've left you with my blessing and best wishes.”

 

“You made an orphan of my daughter,” Burr said quietly, “You forced me to leave her, without a mother, and now without a father. I will never see her grow up. She'll be sent to an orphanage, she will grow up  _ alone _ . Like you did. Like I did. You've doomed her to our fates, Alexander. I just want you to know that.” His words cut through Alexander like the blade of a knife, leaving invisible wounds.

 

Alexander flinched. “Burr--”

 

“No, Alexander,” Aaron cut in, “It's been done. You've got to live with it now.”

 

And with that, he stalked away. How he could successfully  _ stalk _ aboard a ship, Alexander would never understand.

 

“Thank you for your  _ assistance _ on that one, my friends,” Alexander snapped.

 

“He  _ does  _ have a point, Alexander,” Lafayette admitted.

 

“It wasn't our intention!”

 

“Good intentions don't justify bad decisions,” Hercules said, “You of all people should know this.”

 

“So what? Am I the villain now? This was a group effort if I recall, and yet somehow  _ I'm _ the villain? For a  _ mistake _ ?” Alexander growled.

 

“If my math is right,” Hercules whispered as if he was aware of the impact his words would have, “It's  _ two _ mistakes.”

 

“You can't blame me for John!”

 

“Who insisted we befriend him? Who showed him the  _ Adrienne  _ in the first place?” Lafayette countered.

 

“Yes yes, of course. I forgot. Nobody has free will, now do they? Not when I'm around! It's rather convenient for you all, isn't it, to just be able to say, ‘Oh, I didn't mean it, the terrible horrible wicked siren made me do it’? You know, if I'm as despicable as you believe me to be, you must want to spend as little time in my presence as possible, don't you? Good evening, then!” Hamilton all but snarled before turning on his heel and marching away.

○○○

John heard voices shouting outside, before the door to Alexander's cabin was thrown up unceremoniously and Alexander barged in in all his feathered 5’7’’ glory. He shut the door with a thud, then glared at it for a long moment, as though wishing that it would self-combust. Which, for all John knew of Alexander's, could very well be another of his powers.

 

Without any warning, Alexander spun on John. “So,” he said with fake cheeriness, “Are you feeling any better?”

 

“A little,” John replied, “But, Alex--”

 

“Great! Wonderful! Fantastic!” Alexander exclaimed, “At least my existence hasn't ruined  _ everything _ .”

 

“Are you alright?” John asked as he struggled to sit up.

 

“Yes, yes, of course. My closest friends simply think I'm scum is all,” Alexander laughed hollowly.

 

“That seems a tad extreme. Why would they think you're scum?” John asked.

 

“I kidnapped Burr,” Alexander mumbled.

 

“ _ What _ ?!”

 

“It was an accident, I swear on it! I just--it's a long story,” Alexander sighed as he sunk into his chair. “Simply know that, if I had any power over the past, he would be safe and sound at home with his daughter.”

 

“And they're angry at you?” John inquired.

 

“Maybe not  _ angry _ , per se--well, Burr is, but that is entirely understandable--but they all certainly blame me,” Alexander said.

 

John looked over at Alexander for a moment. He looked… drained. His violet eyes seemed dull and tired. His hair was a ruffled mess, those mesmerising golden-green feathers sticking up in odd directions. His fingers were stained with ink, and his hands looked callused and worn.

 

For a split second, John could imagine Alexander being 850.

 

“It's not your fault, Alex,” John said quietly.

 

“I'm the reason he's stuck in this mess! Hades’ helm, I'm the reason  _ you're  _ stuck in this mess!” Alexander said, tugging at his hair.

 

“All you all keep reminding me,” John snarked, “I got myself into this mess. I  _ blackmailed _ myself aboard, remember?”

 

“Only because I showed you the  _ Adrienne _ in the first place!”

 

“Would you  _ stop _ wallowing in your misery?” John asked.

 

“What do you want from me? An apology for being apologetic?” Alexander said as he threw his hands in the air.

 

“I want you to stop whining like a bitter scullery maid!”

 

“You'd know all about scullery maids, wouldn't you, Lord Laurens?” Alexander sneered.

 

“What does that mean?” John asked, balling his fists.

 

“Was it nice? Being waited on hand on foot like a little prince? You tell such a sob story about how Papa was mean to you and how life was so terrible and icky in your nice, big castle, but you know what I think?” Alexander snapped, “I think poor little Johnny was  _ bored,  _ so he decided to run away. Have a grand old time with the witchy pirates, right?”

 

John reeled back as if he'd been hit. “You have no idea what it was like there,” he growled, climbing out of the hammock and standing toe to toe with Alexander, “He wanted to marry me off like a bartering chip, he forced me to stand by and watch as our people  _ starved _ , and if I wasn't good enough? Well then, he'd--”

 

“Oh, poor John, Papa wanted him to be well-fed and marry a pretty girl!” Alexander mocked, “Spare me your tale of misery and woe.”

 

“You're a fucking _ass,_ you know that?” John replied voice heated.

 

“Yes! Yes, I do! That's the point I've been trying to make! I mean, I know humans are stupid, but did it really take so long to get through your thick skull?” Alexander shouted.

 

The silence that followed was broken only by the crack of John's fist against the bones of Alexander's nose.

 

John pulled his hand back and his knuckles painted red. Alexander's nose was bent at an unnatural angle and leaking blood.

 

“Alex--” John tried to say as he stared at the siren in horror.

 

“No!” Alexander barked, “Sleep! Now!”

 

John didn't even think to protest as he slumped to the floor.

○○○

“Alexander?” Lafayette asked when Hamilton emerged from his quarters with blood smeared across his face. “Did you get in  a fight with your cushions, mon ami?” He was trying to hide his concern.

 

He was failing.

 

“Fought and  _ lost _ , it looks like,” Hercules muttered as he peered at Alexander’s face.

 

“More like I fought  _ Laurens _ and lost,” Alexander replied.

 

“Really?” Hercules asked.

 

“Lovers quarrel?” Lafayette teased, and Alexander glared at him. “Or not.”

 

“What could you have  _ possibly  _ done to bring the two of you to fisticuffs?” Hercules inquired.

 

“He called me a whiny scullery maid,” Alexander grumbled.

 

“So you  _ punched him _ ?” Hercules asked incredulously.

 

“So I called him the spoiled little brat he is,” Alexander spat, “And then he punched me!”

 

“That sounds… unnecessarily violent,” Lafayette said.

 

“Yes, well he started it!”

 

“What are you, a sniveling infant? Act your age, Alexander,” Lafayette snapped.

 

“Really Alexander. You're not a child anymore. You're eight centuries his senior,” Hercules added, “You shouldn't be throwing around such lame excuses.”

 

“Yes, mother. Yes, father,” Alexander sneered. “I'm going to write. Do not feel inclined to follow me.”

 

Hercules and Lafayette watched him go.

○○○

“Call for Lady Schuyler,” Washington ordered as he sunk onto his throne.

 

How had it come to this? Sixty percent of Dorah, a small coastal town to the north, had acquired the Sickness. Another earthquake had wracked the island, devastating home the land. Hurricane battered the west, while the south suffered from drought. People had even claimed to see the mountain smoking.

 

And in the midst of all this, the King had lost his--supposedly--most loyal commanders. Without Lafayette, the Navy was in disarray, and with Burr gone the Royal Guard was floundering.

 

“You called for me, Your Majesty,” Angelica asked as she entered the war room.

 

“How are we doing with the appointment of Gilbert’s replacement?” George asked, rubbing his temples.

 

“We have… a few candidates,” Angelica replied hesitantly.

 

“You don’t have anyone, do you?” Washington sighed.

 

“No, sir. Lafayette… is  _ difficult _ to replace, to say the least.”

 

“Brilliant. And for Sir Burr?”

 

“Horatio Gates or Nathaniel Greene, sir,” Angelica said.

 

“At least that’s  _ someone _ ,” Washington muttered.

 

“Sir, if I may,” Angelica continued cautiously, “It may be possible to allow Lafayette and his crew re-admittance to the island.”

 

“I’ve already heard all these suggestions, Lady Schuyler,” the king said, “I cannot risk the safety and well-being of our entire kingdom for the sake of four men, no matter how dear those men may be to me.”

 

“But Your Majesty!” Angelica was quick to exclaim, “Eliza’s visions, they say--”

 

“Your sister could be wrong, Angelica.”

 

“She’s never been wrong before!”

 

“We cannot lower the wards, Lady Schuyler. There is nothing else to say,” Washington snapped.

 

Angelica glared at him for a moment before turning and walking away. The King ran a hand over his face.

 

How could things have gotten so bad?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, tell me your thoughts!


	9. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a lot happens. Lafayette is Not a mermaid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yet another long ass wait for another somewhat mediocre chapter. yay.

“Alexander, you must talk to him,” Lafayette said as he approached the siren.

Hamilton was sitting on the bow of the ship with his parchment and quill splayed across his lap, writing so fast the ink was splattering up onto his face.

“There's not much to talk about, Gil,” he snapped, “He broke my nose.”

“I'm aware, mon oiseau chanteur. Trust me when I say I am incredibly unhappy with that particular turn of events,” Lafayette said, perching next to Alexander and breathing in the salty sea air.

It smelled like home.

“Then you should understand why I'm not exactly jumping at the suggestion to ‘talk to him’,” Alexander grumbled. They flecks of black that had been scattered across his face smeared in a spray of seawater.

“Oui, but you must do so anyway,” Lafayette pointed out, “We cannot simply get rid of John Laurens. He knows too much.”

“That doesn't mean I have to talk to him right this moment,” Alexander replied.

Lafayette sighed. “I suppose not, but it does it no good to put it off. You're a smart man, Alexander. You know this.”

Alexander tucked the quill into the small satchel he kept around his waist as he slowly folded up his paper. “What do I even say?” he asked.

Lafayette stared off into the horizon, absentmindedly rolling droplets of water between his webbed fingers. “I'm not sure, “ he finally admitted.

“That's amazingly helpful, Gilbert,” Alexander mumbled.

“I am not sure, but I would start by apologizing. Even if he drew first blood, you did say some rather awful things, for no real reason other than your frustration with Hercules and I,” Lafayette added.

“‘Have my most humble of apologies for my ever so impertinent insinuations, I beg you to forgive me of my transgressions,’” Alexander parodied, “Not fucking likely.”

“Alexander!” Lafayette scolded, “You must. I won't have you two bickering like children for the rest of our godsforsaken lives, so take it as an order from your captain and commanding officer--make your peace with John Laurens.”  
○○○  
John most definitely did not scream when he saw Hercules for the first time. 

“What in the name of the fucking gods were you thinking,” Hercules--quite literally--growled.

And to think, John had thought him intimidating without the fangs and claws.

“I-I-I… what do you mean?” John squeaked, doing his best not to stare at the tail angrily swishing behind his crewmate.

“Alexander,” Hercules snarled.

John felt himself start to sweat. “That-that was an accident,” he floundered. “I was simply upset, I lost control, and I--”

“And you punched him? Like some unruly drunk?” Hercules inquired.

John cast his gaze at the floor.

“By the gods, it's like I'm dealing with children,” Hercules muttered. “You are going to apologize to Alexander and sort this whole disaster out. I don't want to hear another word until the both of you are reconnected at the damned hip. In the meantime, Gil and I are going to our cabin, and I suggest you don't disturb us.”

John blanched, both at the prospect of talking to Alexander and at the idea of what Hercules and Lafayette could possibly be doing.  
○○○  
“John?” Alexander asked as he climbed down the ladder into the cabin, “are you still down here?”

John hummed in reply, his eyes never leaving the old, tattered book in his lap.

“Wonderful,” Alexander said before rambling on, “I wanted to say that I am sincerely sorry for my earlier words. I was frustrated with Gil and Hercules, and I took it out on you. It was childish and immature, and not the actions befitting someone of my position. I mean, you did clock me rather well, so I think we’re even, but nevertheless, it was rude and--”

“Alex, be quiet,” John interrupted as he rolled his eyes and stood, standing toe to toe with the siren.

Alexander looked worried as if he expected John to throw another punch.

“Of course I'm pissed at you. I'm pissed to all hell. You took away my ability to make my own decision, and I can't fool myself into thinking that it doesn't hurt or that it doesn't scare me straight to hell that it may happen again. It scares me absolutely shitless, understand?” John snapped, glaring at Alexander. “That said, I'm grateful for your apology; it is nice to know you're sorry rather than pretending that it didn't happen. You were a complete dick, but I can let it go this once -- provided that you don't do this again.”

Alexander bit his lip in worry. “I can't promise that I won't do it again,” he said slowly, “To some extent, it is a power and a skill, but there's also some part of it that isn't quite conscious. I don't have absolute control over it.”

“As long as you've tried, that's all that matters,” John said with more certainty than he'd felt. Judging by Alexander's frown, it hadn’t gone unnoticed. “And,” he added, “It’s not as if I’m blameless in this either, you know. I think we both made complete asses of ourselves. I say we move on, yes?” He stuck out his hand for Alexander to shake.

He forgot Alexander wasn’t incredibly familiar with the concept and was reminded as Alexander shook his hand with much more vigor than necessary. “I didn’t mean it, by the way,” the siren said rapidly as he continued to move his hand up and down, “I believe you when you say things were bad back on Andras, and I believe you had a reason to force yourself aboard the ship.”

“Don’t concern yourself with it, Alex. It’s no issue,” John assured. “You can, uh, let go of my hand, now.”

Alexander quickly dropped John’s hand. The smile he gave John was somewhat shy, somewhat guilty, but there was obvious mischief behind his words as he said, “Have you had any dinner?”

“No,” John replied as he rolled his eyes, “I believe I was asleep, or--Hercules!” His eyes grew to the size of saucers. He could hardly believe he’d forgotten! “Hercules! Wha-what is he? He had fangs and claws, and fur, and-and--”

“Shhh,” Alexander snapped, “You’ll wake the whole ocean!”

“His eyes were like a cat’s!” John shouted.

“Yes, that’d be because he is one,” Alexander replied, “A Nemean lion, actually. It’s a bit like a normal lion, except… well. I’ll just let him explain it. Let’s get dinner, shall we?”

“He’s a lion?!” John shrieked.

“That’s what I said, isn’t it?” Alexander rolled his eyes as he lifted the hatch and climbed out of their quarter.

John followed him in disbelief. “A lion. A lion, a siren, a shapeshifter, and a mermaid. What-what the fuck!” he said eloquently.

“I am not a mermaid!” an indignant voice cried from the captain’s cabin, and a moment later the door opened to reveal Lafayette--it was obviously Lafayette, even if his hair seemed to be made of plants and his skin was blue--glaring at them. “I swear upon the gods, Hamilton, if you told John I am a mermaid I will throw you off my ship, your pretty feathers be damned!”

“I didn’t, I didn’t!” Alexander swiftly defended himself, “I told him you weren’t a mermaid!”

“No! You said he was a mermaid, I swear! You-you were talking about your home, and you said--” John argued.

“I said he wasn’t a mermaid, and you would do well not to call him one if you value your continued existence!”

John threw his hands in the air. “I thought you said he was a mermaid!”

“Why does everyone always assume I’m a mermaid? I’m a nereid! No tail! Alexander is more closely related to mermaids than I am, and yet no one calls him a mermaid!” Lafayette exclaimed.

“Alex has feathers,” John pointed out as he stared at Lafayette.

“That doesn’t change the fact that I am most definitely not a mermaid,” Lafayette huffed.

“We know, love,” Hercules said as he opened the cabin door again and leaned against the frame.

Apparently, the culmination of all of them together was too much for John because he started laughing hysterically. “What the fuck,” he said finally.

“I'm not sure I know what you're referring to,” Alexander said, lightly placing a hand on John's shoulder.

“You have feathers! Hercules has fur! Gil has scales! You all have some sort of-of magical ability and you're sailing around like pirates in the middle of the ocean and I'm some sort of fucking cabin boy!” John wheezed, almost doubling over as his laugher bordered the line into maniacal.

Hercules, Lafayette, and Alexander all shared a look. “You alright there, Laurens?” Hercules asked cautiously.

John's laughter only intensified.

“Alexander, do something,” Lafayette all but pleaded as John's face turned more and more red.

Alexander flailed widely. “I can't,” he said, “I-I just promised I wouldn't!”

After what seems like an eternity of John turning redder and redder, the man finally managed to calm down. “I apologize, really, I just… you have to understand, up until a few days ago, you all were legend told to me by my wet nurse,” he said, his face flushed and his curly hair askew in its ponytail, “It was all stories--I never thought it could be real--and now, you're all here, and…”

“I take it it's more than a bit overwhelming,” Alexander said with the beginnings of a smirk.

“That's a way to put it, yes,” John replied.

“Then let us clear up some of the confusion, oui?” Lafayette said. “It makes sense that you should know what we are capable of, seeing as we're going to be together for the foreseeable future.”

“You already know about me,” Alexander said. “As Gil so adamantly stated, he's a Nereid. In simplest terms, he's a sea nymph. He can breathe underwater, manipulate it to do as he wishes.”

John looked like he was about to say something but stopped himself.

“And I'm a Nemean lion,” Hercules said with a pointy-toothed grin.

“What's that? I'm sorry, I'm just not familiar with--”

“He's impenetrable, is what he is!” Lafayette said, “He stole the blankets once and I hit him with a wooden spoon, and the damned thing shattered!”

“Impenetrable?” John inquired, “Really?”

“As far as I can tell,” Hercules said. “There are other things--I can see in the dark, better reflexes and hearing--but that's the main thing.”

John took a step back. “Fuck,” he muttered.

“Alexander said you know about him?” Lafayette asked.

“In that I know he can convince m--people to do and think things just by talking to them? Yes,” John said, and Alexander's face turned a brilliant shade of pink.

“And the singing?” Lafayette asked.

“Singing?”

“He--Gil! That's--he doesn't need to know about that! I don't sing, not anymore,” Alexander rushed to say.

Hercules rolled his eyes. “If he's going to stay with us, he should know,” he said.

“But--”

“Non, Alexander. He must know,” Lafayette interrupted, “The only question is if you're going to tell him, or if we are.”

Alexander crossed his arms with a huff. “If you tell him, you’re going to make it out to be some sort of love spell,” he retorted.

John’s eyes flickered between Alexander and Lafayette. He was getting more confused by the second. Love spell? What in God's name?

“Well…” Lafayette started.

“It's--it's not a love spell!” Alexander insisted.

“Pardon me,” John interrupted, “But could you please get back to the part where you were about to tell me what Alexander could do?” he asked pointedly.

Alexander sent John a withering glare. “Or,” he countered, “we could discuss how Gil can talk to fish.”

“Interesting, but no,” John shot back, placing his hands on his hips.

“C’mon, Alexander,” Hercules groaned, “Just get on with it, would you?”

“Fine! Fine,” Alexander grumbled as he raked a hand through his hair, “First things first, it's not a love spell because there's no such thing as a love spell. You-you can't force love. You can't force anything, really. What I do is more convincing. I-I’m persuading you to believe what I'm saying is the best option and--it's complicated.” Alexander huffed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Alright,” John said, “I don't see what that has to do with you singing.”

“Singing is… different. A siren’s song is… it's not a love spell, but…”

“It's a damn love spell, Alexander,” Hercules said with an exasperated eye roll before turning to John. “He sings, and anyone who hears it falls in love with him.”

“It's not love--” Alexander tried to say, but Lafayette sent him a pointed look.

“Angelica Schuyler,” he said as he raised an eyebrow.

If looks could kill, Lafayette would've been dead a thousand times over. “Angelica is a special case,” Alexander hissed through his teeth, “She-she must've already had feelings for me, or something because it's not real love.”

“I'm not really inclined to believe you,” Lafayette said.

John was still reeling from the news. “People--you can get people to fall in love with you?” he asked, his eyes wide as saucers.

“It's not love, damn it, but… in layman's terms, yes. I suppose you'd call it that,” Alexander said.

John took another step back and brought his fingers to his temples. “Is… is there anything else I should know of before I go lie down and try to-to process all of this?” he asked.

“Hercules can turn into an actual lion, and Alexander can fly,” Lafayette said.

That, apparently, was John's threshold because he turned on his heel and climbed back down the hatch into his cabin. 

“Excellent job, Gilbert,” Alexander snapped.

“Me?” Lafayette asked, “How is this my fault?”

“That last bit was… a bit blunt, love,” Hercules agreed.

“This whole thing is a mess,” Alexander sighed. He rubbed his temples. “I'll go talk to him, make sure he hasn't run himself through with a sword or anything--”

“No you won't,” Hercules said. “No offense, Alexander, but you are the least likely to handle this well. You'll just scare him more. I'll talk to him.”

Alexander looked ready to argue, but instead, he slid a hand over his face and nodded weakly. “Alright,” he relented before nodding again, “Alright. I'm going to eat and then try and find out where we need to go to fix all of this.”

Lafayette and Hercules shared a look as the siren walked away. He looked… tired. Or, more accurately, more tired than usual. Drained, almost, as if, without an argument to win or an explanation to form, all the wind had been sucked from under his sails.

“I'll talk to one, you talk to the other?” Lafayette suggested.

Hercules sighed. “Did we ever pine this much?” he asked as he grabbed Lafayette by the hips and pulled him in for a kiss.

“Non, I think not,” Lafayette admitted as they pulled apart “But we did fall in together much quicker. Surely it will get better once they recognize what's there.”

Hercules grinned and dragged Lafayette forward for another saltwater kiss. “I hope so,” he muttered as he held the Nereid in a tight embrace, “I don't know how much more of this I can take, and I'm not even the one pining.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What'd ya think?? tell me!


	10. Chaper Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> F E E L I N G S

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> when it takes two months for me to update
> 
> y i k e s
> 
> LOOK I'M SORRY MY LAPTOP IS BROKEN AND I LOST MY PHONE I'M DYING PLEASE DON'T KILL ME

Hercules gave it about thirty or so minutes before he peered down into the cabin Alexander and John were sharing.

 

“John?” he asked, “You alright down there, man?”

 

He got a muffled “Go away,” in response.

 

Hercules rolled his eyes. “John, I’m not going anywhere until I can ascertain that you’re okay.”

 

“Well, I’m  _ not _ ,” John snapped. “I’m stuck on a boat with a lion, a mermaid, a shapeshifter, and a siren who can literally make me fall in love with him. In what world should I be okay with this?”

 

“Well,” Hercules said placatingly, “You've been ‘stuck on a boat’ with us this long, and we've yet to devour you and wear your bones as trophies. We've had plenty of opportunities. If we were going to harm you, we would've done it by now, Laurens.”

 

“I didn’t  _ know, _ ” John insisted, “I couldn’t know what I got myself into.”

 

Hercules heaved a long-suffering sigh. “You  _ specifically _ asked to come along,” he reminded him. “We tried to stop you. Besides, you were fine with this until you knew what we were. It’s not like we’re suddenly different people just because you know.”

 

“But that’s the point! You  _ are _ !” Hercules imagined John throwing up his hands into the air. “All I’ve learned about you, my relationship with each of you, is based on a lie!”

 

Hercules rolled his eyes. “You've been spending too much time with Alexander,” he said, “You've developed his taste for the dramatic.”

 

John turned and glared at him. “Tell me it isn't true, then. Tell me that life aboard this ship won't change. Look me in the eyes and say it, Hercules Mulligan,” he dared.

 

Hercules hesitated. “I mean, I can’t promise you that everything will be  _ exactly _ as before, mainly because we look different now, without the glamour, and since you now know what we are, some of us are probably going to be using some of our powers, but nothing  _ major. _ ”

 

“ _ Everything _ is major!” John shouted. “ _ Everything _ is major when your closest friends can fly, or breathe underwater, or can shapeshift into  _ you _ , or have a fucking  _ mane _ , or can--”

 

“If you’re going to bring up Alexander’s powers again, I’m going to drag you out of this cabin right now,” Hercules warned. “We've  _ always _ been able to do those things, Laurens, we just  _ don't.  _ Just because we have these abilities, doesn't mean we need to use them  _ all the time _ . Yes, my strength  _ is _ useful when we're dragging things about the ship. Yes, Gil being particularly good with water  _ does _ make him an amazing captain. But these things don't  _ define _ us, and we don't go about using them at the drop of any old hat. Besides,” Hercules added, his voice becoming more joking as he grinned, “What good is a  _ lion _ on a  _ boat _ ?”

 

John stared at him for a moment more. “It's as if one night I went to bed on Ándras, and never woke up. More and more often, all of this?” he gestured to the room around them, and to Hercules himself, “Seems like a dream. But it's  _ not _ . It's  _ real _ . My world has simply been…” John's sentence trailed off as he scanned the room, trying to find the right word.

 

“Turned upside-down?” Hercules supplied, sitting himself down on Alexander's chair.

 

John nodded.

 

“How much has Alexander told you about Tératos?” Hercules asked.

 

John rubbed his face. “I had a fever, I was delirious for most of it, but he mentioned a war,” he explained.

 

“Nothing else? Nothing more recent?” Hercules asked.

 

“Not that I can recall, no,” John replied.

 

Hercules pulled his fingers through his hair. “The island, Teratos, is in trouble. Has he said that much?”

 

John nodded. “He did mention disasters and sickness crossing the island, yes, but I sort of just assumed that was part of the story,” he said.

 

Hercules sighed, suddenly looking much, much older. “It wasn’t,” he muttered.

 

“Hercules--”

 

“No, John. Listen,” Hercules said quietly. It was so different from how he usually acted, so far from his typical loud, boisterous personality that John felt like it would be wrong, nigh on sacrilegious to do anything other than listen. “I had a sister,” Hercules continued. “Elizabeth. She was… something else. I’d heard her talk, she  _ adored _ Alexander, wanted to do what he did, you know? Write. She had this book, all yellow-leather bound and pretty, full of poems. She read a few to me. They were good. Not  _ Alexander _ levels of good, of course, but good. She was one of the first kids born on the island. She was our hope. We were free, and safe, and we had this new little kit, alive and healthy.”

 

Hercules paused for a moment, and John laid a hand on his shoulder.

 

“What happened?” he whispered, unable to miss the way Hercules’ yellow eyes trailed on the floor.

 

“She died.”

 

It was so soft, John had to strain to hear it.

 

“She died. The Sickness. We don’t where she got it, only that she did. One day she was  _ fine _ , and the next… gone. It was odd. It’s so strange to see one of our own die. The island keeps us from aging, and even apart from that, we’re pretty hard to kill. We thought ourselves invincible, I suppose. And then, there was Elizabeth, our little Beth, in bed. They wouldn’t let us back in the house. Said she was still contagious. That was the last I’ll ever see of her. We left before the funeral,” Hercules said, and John felt as if air had been sucked from the cabin.

 

“Why are you telling me this?” John asked.

 

“You need to know. No matter how it happened, no matter what is  _ going  _ to happen, you're one of us now, Laurens,” Hercules said, “We're still a crew, still a… a  _ family _ . You deserve to know.”

 

And with that, the lion stood. “And don't look too hardly upon Alexander. The poor kid doesn't know what he's doing,” he added, before leaving John alone in the cabin.

 

The man fell back down into the hammock.

○○○

“Alexander?” Lafayette asked, cornering the siren in his position on the bow of the ship in the second time in as many days.

 

“Yes?” Alexander replied, and his concisity was a testament to how worn out he truly was in and of itself.

 

“Are you feeling alright, mon ami?” Lafayette inquired, sitting down next to his friend. Alexander took a deep breath and nodded, forcing himself to sit up straight and smile.

 

“Of course, Gil,” he assured, “Why would I  _ not _ be?”

 

Lafayette looked him over for a moment. “Because you look like you’ve neither slept nor eaten in about four days,” he concluded.

 

Alexander chuckled, but the sound was weak and tired. “You’re  _ almost _ right,” he conceded, “It’s been about five.”

 

Lafayette gaped at him. “Mes dieux,” he muttered, “What the  _ fuck _ , Alexander? Do you have a death wish?”

 

Alexander shook his head. “I’m just trying to figure out what the  _ hell _ we’re doing, Gil!” he said, “We’ve been out here for  _ months _ , and we’re no closer to finding the problem than we were when we started!”

 

“And so you’re  _ starving yourself _ ?” Lafayette snapped, “How is  _ that _ helpful?”

 

Alexander glared. “We’re short on food supplies. If anything, you should be grateful that I’m not eating much.”

 

“Gratef--Are you insane?!” Lafayette shouted.

 

“And I’m not  _ starving _ myself--”

 

“You just said you haven’t eaten in five days,” Lafayette yelled, “What  _ else _ would you call that?”

 

Alexander looked away. “I’ll be fine, Gil,” he whispered. “I promise. Trust me.”

 

Lafayette stared at Alexander for a moment before sighing. “You are in love with John Laurens, non?” he asked quietly.

 

Alexander didn’t deign it with a response.

 

“Alexander,” Lafayette began.

 

“Hush, Gil.”

 

“You  _ can’t _ !” Lafayette exclaimed, “He’s a  _ human _ !”

 

“He already knows, Gil! He knows, and it’s not as if he’ll ever see Teratos!”

 

“Alexand--”

 

“I can’t just  _ stop _ my  _ emotions _ , Gil! I can’t change them, so just accept it!” Alexander finally shouted, and Lafayette took a step back.

 

“If you’re so insistent on this, why haven’t you told him?” he asked.

 

Alexander’s laugh was loud and bordering on maniac. “Because a  _ month ago _ he was calling you and Hercules ‘unnatural’! Do you honestly believe  _ that _ would go over well?” he finally choked out, his face becoming red as he doubled over in hysterics.

 

“Mon ami,” Lafayette began uneasily, trying not to startle Alexander as if he were some wild animal, “Is this the  _ real _ reason you have not been taking care of yourself?”

 

The look on Alexander’s face was one that frightened Lafayette to the core.

 

“Be quiet, Gil.”

 

“But--”

 

“I said  _ quiet _ !” Alexander snapped, and Lafayette’s jaw shut with a  _ click _ . “I am  _ fine _ . Leave me be. Please.”

 

The look of pity on Lafayette’s face left Alexander’s stomach rolling. Lafayette placed a hand on Alexander’s shoulder before shaking his head.

  
He left Alexander, alone, on the  _ Adrienne _ ’s bow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tell me what you think??? please????


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this is shit and i'm Aware but the plot needed a Shove
> 
> also, hercules still has feelings and they are Valid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whooooooooo 930 words that took a Month to write
> 
> greeeeeeeat
> 
> i hate myself

Alexander didn’t speak to John again for the rest of his day, instead preferring to grab his papers and his quill and remain on the bow, sketching maps and plotting out stories.

 

“He hasn’t eaten in five days,” Lafayette told Hercules as the two of them sat in their cabin.

 

“He came up for dinner yesterday!” Hercules insisted.

 

“Oui, but did you see him eat?”

 

Hercules rubbed his temples. “John isn’t doing well, either. It’s like one moment he’s fine, and the next he’s panicking,” he explained.

 

“And you?” Lafayette asked, placing a hand on Hercules’ knee. “Are you feeling any better?”

 

Hercules merely shrugged.

 

“It helps, I suppose,” he muttered, “Being away from home, I mean. But I can’t help but find myself thinking how wonderful it’ll be to go back and to-to  _ see _ her.”

 

“Mon cha--”

 

“And then I remember that even  _ that’s  _ impossible because we’re  _ never going home _ ,” Hercules whispered.

 

Lafayette stared at his lover for a moment before pulling him into his arms. “Hercules, you must believe me, we  _ will _ find a way--”

 

“I’ve got it! I’ve figured it out!” Alexander yelled from the deck, pounding on their door. “Open up,  _ open up _ , c’mon!”

 

Lafayette pressed a kiss to Hercules’ temple before opening the door. There Alexander stood, with Burr glaring at him from behind, and John climbing out of their quarters.

 

“What the hell are you going on about, man?” Hercules snapped.

 

“I’ve been so  _ stupid _ , my gods--” Alexander exclaimed before being cut off by Burr.

 

“While I don’t doubt that, care to tell us  _ why _ you’ve been so stupid?” he asked.

 

“Eliza’s vision said we were looking for a monster, yes?”

 

“Yes,” Lafayette replied slowly, “Which doesn’t necessarily narrow it down.”

 

“That’s the  _ thing _ ,” Alexander continued, “It  _ does _ ! How many monsters do we know of, apart from Teratos?”

 

“Dear gods you  _ have _ been stupid! We all have!” Hercules said.

 

“What’s going on?” John asked, “What? Why does that narrow it down?”

 

“Jefferson,” Burr said as a way of explanation, “And Madison.”

 

“Ah,” Lafayette murmured, “Of course.”

 

“Of course _ what _ ?” John demanded to know, “Who are Jefferson and Madison? Why aren’t they on your island? Why would they be responsible for whatever is plaguing your home?”

 

“Thomas Jefferson and James Madison used to be on the King’s council,” Alexander clarified, “Though how either of them ever got elected, I’ll never bloody understand.”

 

“Jefferson hasn’t always been terrible,” Lafayette insisted, “And you worked with Madison, once.”

 

“Yes he  _ has _ , and that was before I had any  _ sense _ ,” Alexander argued before turning back to John. “They didn’t agree with the way Washington was ruling Teratos, said he had too much control over the people,” he explained, “They staged a rebellion, claimed the southern half of the island for themselves and any other dimwits they’d persuaded to join them. It took a good twenty years beat them back.”

 

“When was all this?” John asked.

 

“Centuries ago,” Hercules replied. “Gil had just been given command of his first ship, and Alexander--”

 

“Alexander was being  _ brilliant _ , thanks,” the man in question snapped.

 

John was once again left dumbstruck, reminded once again of how  _ old _ his companions were. He must’ve seemed like nothing more than a screeching infant to them.

 

“Point being, they’re traitors, the both of them,” Alexander snarled, “Washington exiled them, and the whole island said  _ good riddance _ .”

 

“So this is, what, they’re revenge?” Burr asked, “Like Mulligan said, it’s been  _ centuries _ . Why did they wait so long to act?”

 

“Why does Jefferson do  _ anything _ ?” Alexander asked, “He’s an arrogant, traitorous  _ prick _ , that’s why.”

 

“So,” John began after a moment of tense silence, “This Jefferson character, where is he now?”

 

“Only the gods know,” Lafayette said forlornly, “No one’s had contact with them since they left. Without Teratos to protect them, we all assumed they’d die, if not at  a human’s hands, then at time’s.”

 

“Damn dragons and their fucking outrageous lifespans,” Alexander muttered.

 

“Sorry,  _ what _ ?” John asked.

 

“Dragons, the both of them,” Hercules explained, “Last two, in fact, unless there’s more of them in hiding somewhere.”

 

“I bloody well hope not!” Alexander all but squawked. He had to take a moment to literally un-ruffle his feathers.

 

“ _ Dragons _ ?” John repeated, “As in, massive serpents with wings and fangs and all?”

 

“When they feel like it, yes,” Burr replied. “Although, most of the time Thomas preferred--”

 

Alexander interrupted with a huff. “Oh yes,” he drawled, “I forgot how  _ chummy _ you used to be with those bastards.”

 

“Alexander,” Lafayette warned.

 

Alexander sighed. “So we know  _ who  _ we’re looking for, but do we know  _ where _ we’re looking?” he asked.

 

The four monsters shared a look.

 

“No?” Alexander asked. “Well then. Wonderful.”

 

“It can’t be far off from the island,” Lafayette supplied.

 

“Does anyone know where the island  _ is _ ? Hercules? You were the only one conscious after we left. Any ideas?” Alexander prodded.

 

Hercules ran his fingers through his mane. “It’s in the east,” he offered, “Southeast, I think.”

 

Burr looked towards the sky for a moment before turning his attention towards the sea. “And we’ve been headed north this whole time,” he muttered.

 

“And we’re running out of food,” John added. “I was checking the rations, earlier. We have enough two weeks, three if we stretch it out.”

 

“So we stop and you and Burr pick up supplies. Humans still take gold, oui?” Lafayette asked.

 

“Even if they don’t, you and Alexander can fish,” Hercules added. “The biggest struggle is going to be  _ finding  _ this place.”

 

“We’ll do it,” Alexander said resolutely. “It may take time, but we will. We have to.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please yell at me. angrily. i deserve it


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> fishing & feelings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here we go! a chapter i'm actually proud of! enjoy!

When Hercules had mentioned  _ fishing _ , John had immediately thought of nets and rods and the like because that’s  _ how you fished _ . John had lived in a seaside town his whole life. He’d visited the fishmonger with his father, he’d stood on the cliffs by the ocean and watched the boats cast their nets into the waves.  _ He knew how fishing worked _ .

 

And there was  _ no way _ this was  _ fishing _ .

 

Fishing wasn’t  _ pretty _ or  _ elegant _ , and it didn’t leave butterflies in John’s stomach (actually, the smell made him queasy).

 

He’d curiously watched as Alexander tied his hair back, cuffed his breeches, and discarded his shoes. And his shirt, which John would forever deny left him blushing. He’d been seconds from asking  _ what the bloody hell _ Alex was doing when suddenly something had  _ shifted _ and the little green and gold feathers that dotted Alexander’s arms like hairs  _ grew _ , turning into long, iridescent plumes that shone in the sunlight. At the same time, his feet had changed into talons, not unlike those of a falcon or hawk.

 

John hadn’t been able to do much other than stare.

 

Another moment passed and then Alex was  _ flying _ , and John all but felt his jaw hit the deck.

 

He was  _ flying _ , up and up and up, framed by the sun like an angel, and John could’ve sworn his heart was flying just as high as Alexander was.

 

“Hey, loverboy, you’re going to tip over the bucket,” Hercules teased as he passed John, who had been so taken in by Alexander that’d he’d been pointedly ignoring the mop and bucket he was supposed to be using to clean the  _ Adrienne _ ’s deck.

 

John jolted, nearly tripping over his own feet as he was shocked out of his reverie. “What--I’m--Alex and I are merely platonic--simply close friends--I would never--no offense to you or Gil, but--my affections--” he stammered.

 

“Of course,” Hercules replied with a smirk, “Which is why you turn red as a cherry everytime Alexander does so much as grin your way.”

 

“You  _ prick _ \--”

 

“Just calling it as I see it, man,” Hercules replied with a shrug.

 

“Well, what you’re seeing is  _ wrong _ !” John insisted.

 

“If you say so,” Hercules said, his smug grin never wavering.

 

“I  _ do _ say so!”

 

“Say what?” Alexander asked as he landed for a moment, dropping the large fish he had in his talons.

 

“ _ Nothing _ ,” John and Hercules said unanimously. Alexander raised an eyebrow at the pair of them before taking off into the air again.

 

John pretended he didn’t hear Hercules’ low chuckles at the particularly red state of John’s face.

○○○

Aaron was  _ supposed _ to be cleaning below deck and taking stock of the remaining rations.

 

Instead, he was curled up on his palet, a candle burning low beside him as he wrote with the quill and parchment he’d filched from Alexander’s room.

 

_ Dear Theodosia… _

 

He can't think of much else to say.

 

He doesn't think there  _ is  _ much else to say.

 

Theodosia--his wife, Theodosia--had died only a few days after their daughter had been born, her human body unable to cope with the delivery of such a child.

 

Aaron had kept her safe, kept her secret, for so long. He'd been determined to not let her humanity stand in their way, smuggling her aboard the ship to Tératos under the guise of another shapeshifter. They’d kept up the act for years-- _ centuries _ , the island's magic working just as well on her as it did on everyone else.

 

A little thing like humanity wasn't going to bring Theodosia Burr down.

 

Until it did. Until their daughter, always changing and shifting within the womb, had torn out of her and left her cold in her bed.

 

It'd been the first time anyone had died on the island in years.

 

And now, Aaron had lost the only piece of her he still had. He'd lost his little girl, who carried his eyes and her mother's name.

 

He'd never see her again. She'd grow up the way he did, the way so many did.

 

Alone, with nothing but memories.

 

Memories that were bound to fade.

 

_ What to say to you? _

 

Aaron put down his pen and cried.

○○○

None of the  _ Adrienne _ ’s crew had any sort of solid idea as to where they were headed, but they headed back south, hoping that once they reached Ándras, Hercules would be able to direct them in the direction of their island.

 

And, hopefully, Jefferson and Madison.

 

Alexander, Hercules, Lafayette, and even Burr to some extent, had taken to regaling John with tales of the dragons they were sailing to meet, along with other miscellaneous stories of their home.

 

John believed it odd that he'd begun to miss a place he'd never been to.

 

They stopped at a harbor, once. John and Burr had taken to land, laden with a sack of gold (“Humans still use gold, right?” Alexander had asked as he handed over the bag. John didn't think he could laugh that hard.) and instructions to not steal anything unless  _ completely necessary _ .

 

John was quick to say that the rum  _ had  _ been absolutely necessary, and what the point of being pirates if they didn't steal a little?

 

Alexander still insisted that they weren't pirates.

 

_ Alexander _ .

 

John didn’t know what to do about the man who had quickly become the best friend he’d ever had. They were close, of course. He spent nigh on every moment with the man. They were attached at the hip, all but literally.

 

_ And John was panicking _ .

 

He didn’t  _ like _ Alexander. Or, he  _ did _ , but not in the way Hercules like Lafayette or anything like  _ that _ .

 

_ He didn’t _ .

 

But sometimes, when the sun would catch in the green and gold feathers that were mixed in with his hair, or he would smile in the candlelight of their cabin in the evenings, or he’d laugh at any particular joke--but especially  _ John’s _ jokes--John felt his heart turn in his chest and felt his face grow red.

 

He caught himself staring at Alexander’s mouth more than once, and the only thing that saved him from death by utter mortification had been the fact that Alex was  _ completely oblivious _ .

 

_ But he didn’t like Alexander _ .

 

He put it all only loneliness. Of course, he’d become more attached to--more affectionate towards--Alexander when the man was one of the only five people he saw every day.

 

His traitorous brain would then supply that he never found himself staring at  _ Burr’s _ mouth. He would quickly remind himself that was because it was  _ Burr _ , and no one in their right mind would ever be attracted to  _ him _ .

 

_ He was fine _ .

 

_ He didn’t like Alexander _ .

○○○

“John!” Alexander yelled, two months after the first time John ever saw him fly. He was at his usual place at the bow of the ship, his violet eyes staring off into the horizon.

 

“Yes?” John asked as he came up behind the siren and rested his chin on the man’s shoulder.

 

“Go get Hercules. I think we’ve found Andras.”

  
John couldn’t help but notice that Alex sounded  _ scared _ .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh, alex is worried! but Why?
> 
> yell at me?

**Author's Note:**

> Tell me what you think!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Here be monsters](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12907035) by [AWalkingParadox](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AWalkingParadox/pseuds/AWalkingParadox)




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